What I think is important in looking at the difference in treatment between “big tech” and telecom firms is the political expedience. Not to sound too much like a Mayhew acolyte, it can’t be denied that most legislators have their primary focus on reelection. It comes as a priority before efficacy of legislation.
To the voters, telecom companies have always been a priced in annoyance. Additionally, their services aren’t differentiated so although they’re annoying with pricing, the average voter doesn’t see them as quite so pervasive. You pay, you forget. They’re all mildly frustrating to deal with but un-noteworthy .
Big tech on the other hand is in your face. I don’t see my telecom but you can be rest assured I see Microsoft, Facebook, etc on a daily basis.
This means that a congressman fighting telecom is taking a stand against an amorphous blob that we forget about after our monthly bill. Conversely a congressman fighting big tech is a valiant warrior fighting greed and corruption.
I’m sure people here have different views due to a grasp of the nuances but the sad truth is that most of america isn’t all too aware. Big Tech just seems scarier.
Telecom wealth is also pretty evenly distributed nationally because at the end of the day all the money is tied up in the infrastructure that's installed across the nation. They gotta pay someone in Kansas to install fiber in Kansas.
Tech wealth is far more concentrated and it's concentrated among the "very wealthy" and the "coastal elites". Both of those groups are pretty unpopular outside their own bubbles right now.
That further tips the scales in favor politicians targeting tech.
To the voters, telecom companies have always been a priced in annoyance. Additionally, their services aren’t differentiated so although they’re annoying with pricing, the average voter doesn’t see them as quite so pervasive. You pay, you forget. They’re all mildly frustrating to deal with but un-noteworthy .
Big tech on the other hand is in your face. I don’t see my telecom but you can be rest assured I see Microsoft, Facebook, etc on a daily basis.
This means that a congressman fighting telecom is taking a stand against an amorphous blob that we forget about after our monthly bill. Conversely a congressman fighting big tech is a valiant warrior fighting greed and corruption.
I’m sure people here have different views due to a grasp of the nuances but the sad truth is that most of america isn’t all too aware. Big Tech just seems scarier.