There are some flaws within your argument that i like to point out.
> why cable companies regional monopolies are extant, but also that their continued existence relies on the preservation of those monopolies.
it's a moral judgement about monopoly that you imply (it being bad). But the article makes no such judgements at all, and that by bringing in this you direct the argument towards one of ethical behaviour, rather than logical deduction and application of such for businesses.
> no different than a Ponzi scheme. It makes the fatal assumption that subscriber growth can continue ad infinitum.
That's not the defining feature of a ponzi scheme - which is that it is using the investment of new investors to pay out existing investors (and only doing so, rather than undertake a business). The cable companies _do_ produce something, that of cable provision, maintenance and services. Even if they assume infinitely growing subscriber base, it is not a ponzi scheme.
And growth doesn't have to be ad infinitum - just large enough to last long enough until the next disruption (e.g., starlink might disrupt cable companies). There's nothing wrong with a company dying - the bag holders and creditors who hold them last will lose out when they are disrupted, and this is a good outcome. Investment has risks, credits has risks.
> why cable companies regional monopolies are extant, but also that their continued existence relies on the preservation of those monopolies.
it's a moral judgement about monopoly that you imply (it being bad). But the article makes no such judgements at all, and that by bringing in this you direct the argument towards one of ethical behaviour, rather than logical deduction and application of such for businesses.
> no different than a Ponzi scheme. It makes the fatal assumption that subscriber growth can continue ad infinitum.
That's not the defining feature of a ponzi scheme - which is that it is using the investment of new investors to pay out existing investors (and only doing so, rather than undertake a business). The cable companies _do_ produce something, that of cable provision, maintenance and services. Even if they assume infinitely growing subscriber base, it is not a ponzi scheme.
And growth doesn't have to be ad infinitum - just large enough to last long enough until the next disruption (e.g., starlink might disrupt cable companies). There's nothing wrong with a company dying - the bag holders and creditors who hold them last will lose out when they are disrupted, and this is a good outcome. Investment has risks, credits has risks.