Question

Regarding Susan Crawford's book, Captive Audience: The Telecom Industry and Monopoly Power in the New Gilded Age

1. Explain the principle of "common carriage" and the historical importance of common carriage obligations in transportation, local telephone, and utility services.

2. Should society impose common carriage obligations on monopolistic suppliers of broadband data services? Why or why not?

3. What is Crawford's view on this question?

Answer 1

1.A common carrier is legally bound to serve all users when the fee is paid, and there are no reasonable grounds to refuse the service. A common carrier which if unreasonably declines to serve a specific person may be sued for damages. Thus common carriage in the simple terms the basic obligation to serve the community without any discriminately. In other words, to serve upon rational appeal without irrational discrimination at a fair and practical price and with adequate caution. The common carriage principle changed the way transportation, local telephone, and utility services serve everyone who wants to use their service without any discrimination or without any arbitrary use of authority that could have serious effect on the overall measses.