Seriously though, isn’t there something out there that shows the dangers of a single company having too much power, and a small band of people fighting against it? With the entire nation in an uproar over the possibility of an internet monopoly in the hands of one the most despised companies, it’s no wonder a group of smaller companies are banding together to fight this merger. The group consists of Dish Network, the Parents Television Council, Public Knowledge, the Consumer Federation of America and the Writers Guild of America, West. As user u/kwabina of Reddit points out, this could also be a danger to the freedom of the internet market:
One day Comcast comes along. They have the will and the means to provide internet access for about the same price but at much greater speeds. AOL disappears within a year or 2. Now AOL is a newspaper company more than anything else. They completely lost their foothold. And on a side note, they lost so much value that their media empire shrugged them off (read: Time Warner).
I think Comcast is headed for that. I think America is headed for that.”
With the ability to monopolize the cost of home internet, expect a rise in prices and a decline in quality until eventually you’re too lost in all the small print to fight back. This is completely reminiscent with an anime I absolutely love, Steins;Gate.
This is an anime that relies not only on the story, but the beautiful animations and a wonderful cast to tell a complex and sometimes misleading tale. The story follows Okabe Rintarou, self-admitted mad scientist who inadvertently creates a time machine! With the help of his lab partners, he adds some new ones and begins editing the past, but while everyone else has forgotten what truly occurred, he remembers everything, every, last, excruciating detail. Okabe and his team soon gain the attention of S.E.R.N., an evil corporation intent on monopolizing all time travel, which spells bad news for them.
Through the first half of the series it explains what all is going on, until the emotional trauma begins. That’s right, you better bring some tissues because this one hits home and it hits hard. Apart from the tear-jerking moments and the hilarity, the show offers twists and turns that will have you binge watching through to the finale. I don’t want to give any spoilers away, but just know that you won’t be disappointed by this series.
Other Characters
With the Comcast merger coming up, I feel it’s important we be reminded exactly what a giant monopoly of something can do to a country. So check out the show, remember to lobby your congressmen and throw your support towards the companies fighting against this merger!
Steins;Gate Trailer