While 1992's Cable Television Consumer Protection and Competition Act ended the right of cable service providers to regional exclusivity, the prior existence of these monopolies created a barrier to entry for competing service providers that remains today.
The cost for potential competition to enter a market with an already established provider is prohibitive. As a result, cable service providers are permitted to provide abhorrent service at excessive and unfair prices.
By stepping in to offer competing providers an incentive to enter existing markets, or by forcing providers that control a market to share equipment with competitors, the federal government can end these natural monopolies and provide consumers with real choices.