Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®
Articles 1 - 1 of 1
Full-Text Articles in Law
Death Of The Revolution: The Legal War On Competitive Broadband Technologies, John F. Blevins
Death Of The Revolution: The Legal War On Competitive Broadband Technologies, John F. Blevins
John F. Blevins
In this article, I examine the role that law has played in entrenching incumbents in the communications industry, with a particular focus on broadband services. Earlier this decade, several new “revolutionary” broadband technologies threatened to fundamentally disrupt industry structures. This revolution, however, never arrived. The reason, I argue, is that industry consolidation has helped transform law into a powerful and versatile entrenchment mechanism that has stifled these emerging competitive threats. Simply put, the sheer size superiorities enjoyed by today’s incumbent companies has created new and self-reinforcing opportunities to use law to entrench their market position. My focus, however, is not …