competitive check

He will know, though, that you are unlikely to be getting a competitive check, so he can add some extra jam to his sandwich.

Thus the smaller telco functions as a competitive check, preventing AT&T's rates from "creeping ever higher."

Now, it may be that in arguing that consumers will end up paying this tax, what bank lobbyists are really admitting is that smaller banks just aren't real competitors to the big banks and serve as no competitive check on their prices.