A few years ago, Wilson NC wanted to create its own internet company because Time Warner was price-gouging everyone. Time Warner had a monopoly in the area, and people couldn’t afford internet. The town council decided to make their own internet service to provide cheap intent. They built the company, then Time Warner sued them. There was a massive legal battle and in the end, Wilson got to keep the internet company but it became illegal for any other town in the State to provide cheap internet to their citizens if it meant competing with established monopolies. This is what Adam Smith warned us about. This is what the neoconservative defense of “free markets” gets wrong.