In the US of A, public asks for permission from corporates

It is interesting to see how the lives of people in USA are increasingly being taken over by corporates.

Here is how Verizon forces/lobbies/oils the Pennsylvania Senate into passing a bill which makes it unlawful for municipalities or any government institutions to offer telecommunications services which competes against them. Quoting from the article:

The Pennsylvania Senate passed House Bill 30 which prohibits municipalities from delivering telecommunications services for compensation if it competes with private enterprise.

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It’s not that I think munis should be offering these types of services, rather I believe they should have the option of doing so, especially where there is a duopoly (one cable and one DSL operator).

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In essence it says that we, the people, through our duly elected representatives, have to ask Verizon (or any other private telecoms provider) for permission to set up an alternative network. Doesn’t anyone find this appalling? Once upon a time, it was the other way around - private companies had to ask our elected officials for permission to dig streets, set up electric poles, build roads, etc.