That makes consumer advocates and cable companies very nervous. On one side are the cable companies trying to build and operate closed networks with upgraded lines accessible only to their own or partner ISPs. In truth, the forced-access requirement was not conceived to help customers. It was conceived by and for the benefit of our competitors. Their opponents vociferously refute these arguments.
Cable companies have a different deal, at least for now.
Cable franchises are regulated by municipal governments instead of the federal government. That means operators can offer their own ISP services or partner with preferred ISPs like Road Runner, which uses MediaOne and Time Warner networks to provide subscription broadband services. Opponents say cable companies can theoretically set prices as high as the market will bear. But that's not their greatest fear. ISPs are willing, right now, to pay cable companies for that access at the same rates a consumer would.