What Griffith leaves out is the fact that these natural monopolies are then made subject to public rate regulation.

But if the new rate regulations allow us to go back and challenge these increases, we intend to do that.

The cable companies are also pushing to end rate regulation, and have support from Senate Republicans.

House Republicans would remove rate regulation for most services a year after the bill passes.

Few people dispute that the new rate regulations are complicated.

Tele-Communications told financial analysts this summer that rate regulation would cost it about $160 million, or 4 percent of its total revenue.

The Commission has also developed its own small business size standards, for the purpose of cable rate regulation.

To them, the merger conditions themselves were the basic problem; they would "turn the clock backward to rate regulations of a decade past."

"We are opposed to rate regulation of our products in any form," he said.

Such rate regulation may be appropriate and necessary in such areas, at least during a transition toward more managed care.