Communications Technology Quotes
Samuel Langhorne Clemens, 1835-1910. The nature of telephone technology made it easy for companies to obtain monopolies for different areas of the country. When there is a monopoly, there is a huge tendency for the controlling company to charge very high prices and have poor customer service as the usual competition required for quality performance under capitalism is nonexistant. So in 1890, there was the same resentment of the telephone companies, that existed over a century later when there was still a monopoly. Regulation helped somewhat, but the capabilities of the monopolist began to include lobbying and campaign contributions so that typically, in the 21st century, the local telephone companies had much control over the State Commissions that were supposed to regulate them. Long distance service, whose monopoly was broken up by the Federal Courts became a wonderful service for customers and the prices were a tiny fraction of what they had been under their old monopoly.
See British Prime Minister James Callaghan for an earlier view with less sophisticated communications technology--{635837}.
He was one of the first to realize that technology was shaping the relations of people and states throughout the world. In 1891 most other people did not appreciate this dynamic including most politicians. However, we might wonder today what period of time he was contemplating when he used the word “rapidly”. Some have concluded that the globalization resulting from technology has been astoundingly fast while others see it as far too slow and it has a long way to go. See the related quotes for others who were early observers of the coming changes. See the Relates Quotes for more of the early observations of this phenomenon.
