WIRED has a brief article on one of the most important but little noticed battles occuring in the digital realm - the battle over who control digital television electronic programming guides (EPGs) (Showdown Over Digital Show Guides). In my opinion, broadcasters should, as a requirement of their license, make EPG information freely available in a standard format and timely manner. They're our airwaves; shouldn't we know what is being broadcast? The same thing goes for cable companies. In return for their local monopoly, they should at least provide information as to what programming they are providing.
My favorite quote in the article is on the benefits derived from cable companies owning cable boxes (and thus controlling the EPG). It comes from Adam Thierer, director of telecommunications studies for the Cato Institute, a "libertarian" think tank, "With the cable model, you don't have to keep upgrading your boxes, since they [cable companies] are going to be the ones passing out new boxes, they are going to be the de facto stand-in for consumers, because they don't want to have to put out the change every time a new security standard comes along." That's what consumers need, a stand-in who will stand-up for consumer interests - and we all know how cable companies stand up for their consumers. This is a "libertarian" position?