When Republicans talk about "free market" they hope that those listening believe in the Easter Bunny, because it's completely false. What they really mean is a jury-rigged system where their friends get to avoid competition but in public, they talk about competition and the benefits of competition. (Think ATT and it's re-consolidation in recent years.) More proof that Republicans have trashed our system, driving up costs compared to increased competition in Europe, where costs have gone down. Broadband internet has taken off across Europe, leaving the US in its wake. All the Republicans can offer is snide remarks about "Old Europe" but it's their own policies that are old and stuffy.
“We have four countries that are world leaders — Sweden, Denmark, the Netherlands and Finland,” said Viviane Reding, the European telecommunications commissioner. “We have eight countries which have higher penetration rates than the U.S. and Japan. We are not doing badly at all.”
In addition to the three Nordic countries and the Netherlands, four others — Britain, Belgium, Luxembourg and France — had surpassed the United States by July 2007. By January 2008, Germany had also done so.
