The Breakup of AT&T

The Breakup of AT&T The institutional relationship between government and business can be best defined as a marriage of convenience. That is, the amount of regulation, control, and attention paid to business by the federal government has historically depended on both the political climate and the amount of impact the business has on the public good, as well as the national economy. Since the advent of the railroads as the first "big …

…AT&T and the federal government proves that there exists no "natural" monopolies - especially those that exist in a industry with no competition - and that the apathy in advancement and incentive created in such an environment will prove to be disastrous once wholly privatized businesses, creating innovative technologies, prove that the very ideals with which the initial relationship were based on - universal service for the public good - cannot exist.