Technology Companies- A New Form of Monopoly

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A monopoly is defined as the exclusive possession or control of the supply or trade in a commodity or service. Big technology companies such as Comcast, Apple, and AT&T have seemingly created a new form of monopoly, a limited supplier monopoly. These companies have interchangeable software at exceedingly similar prices. These companies work together to prey on other businesses and consumers. Also, smaller technology startups are selling to these big companies to either grow their product or just to make quick capital. Although some startups are selling out, the future of technology depends on startups to continuously grow. Though large companies are not directly monopolizing right now, recent ventures would suggest that it will happen in the near future.
Large technology companies control such a vast amount of the world economy that consumers are forced to adhere to their policies and regulations. Companies that control over what consumers purchase can be paralleled by Milton Friedman, in which he said "If you put the federal government in charge of the Sahara Desert, in 5 years there'd be a shortage of sand." Large technology corporations are doing the same with bandwidth. Bandwidth is the speed at which data is transmitted and major Internet service providers or ISPs are withholding bandwidth to increase its price. Prices for the amount of bandwidth, or the speed of connection to the Internet, have increased steadily over the years as smartphones became more prominent; however, the amount of bandwidth available has not decreased substantially. What really increases the price for bandwidth is the Internet service providers’ willingness to give bandwidth away.
This ideology is similar to Ernest Oppenheimer’s, a former owner of th...

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...the growth of startups that continue to cultivate by their own means and the support of the people.

Works Cited

"Monopoly." Dictionary.com Unabridged. Random House, Inc. 22 Mar. 2014.
Hastings, Reed, Jr. "Netflix US & Canada Blog: Internet Tolls And The Case For Strong Net Neutrality." Netflix US & Canada Blog. Netflix CEO, 20 Mar. 2014. Web. 22 Mar. 2014.
Goldschein, Eric. "The Incredible Story Of How De Beers Created And Lost The Most Powerful Monopoly Ever." Business Insider. Business Insider, Inc, 19 Dec. 2011. Web. 23 Mar. 2014.
BlackBerry's (BBRY) Potential Suitors Had until Monday to Produce Plans to Buy the Struggling Smartphone Maker. Instead. "BlackBerry Abandons Search for Buyer."CNNMoney. Cable News Network, 04 Nov. 2013. Web. 23 Mar. 2014.
Pozin, Ilya. "How to Avoid Being a Startup Failure." Forbes. Forbes Magazine, 28 Nov. 2012. Web. 24 Mar. 2014.

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