Nation’s First Cross-Carrier MDC Platform is an Alluring ‘Front Door’ to Mobile Retail

NOTE TO EDITORS: The Following Is an Investment Opinion Being Issued by the IO News Wire.

DailyFinance: Two weeks ago, in a post about AT&T's spotty third generation wireless coverage, I posed a simple question: "How about an announcement telling customers how AT&T has been working with Apple to help boost the quality of its iPhone service?" Now, that ... Read more

DailyFinance: Investors keep a close eye on what hedge fund titan John Paulson is trading. And given the massive profits the superstar amassed betting against the subprime mortgage sector, it's little wonder. But while Paulson's recent purchase of Citibank (C) ... Read more

DailyFinance: Google (GOOG), the search juggernaut, which looks increasingly like a phone company, paid $30 million for Gizmo5, the Web-based calling startup, DailyFinance has confirmed with people familiar with the matter. The deal is done and the startup's staff ... Read more

DailyFinance: Phones are ringing off the hook at businesses that facilitate making calls over the Internet. With the apparent resolution of the spinout of Net calls pioneer Skype several days ago has come frenzied dealmaking in the VoIP -- short for voice over ... Read more

DailyFinance: After weeks of build-up, Verizon Communications's (VZ) Verizon Wireless unleashed its new Google (GOOG)-powered Droid smartphone on Friday, and New York City retailers were selling out of the device -- billed as the first legitimate challenger to ... Read more

BloggingStocks: BT Group, which virtually owns the UK telecommunications market, isn't waiting for Google (GOOG) to launch a full attack. The company probably expects to be under assault from the search engine (and advertising and e-mail) giant, so it's taking early ... Read more

There has been a buzz of activity in the wireless market with several Android phones being launched, including the Droid by Motorola on Verizon. Since the launch of the iPhone, AT&T has been increasing its subscriber base and Verizon has managed to keep up with the competition. However, Sprint...

..

Appreciate all the Seeking Alpha comments I've received on my article on "It's time to champion real free market capitalism."

Several have said that "real" free market capitalism should have no government involvement.

First, I don't believe that either Friedman or Rand would agree with that statement.

See this clip of Ayn Rand and Mike Wallace from 1959 (watch all 3 clips but the business/free market aspects are in the 2nd clip of the interview).

Wallace specifically asks her if all she cares about is protecting the "robber baron" (i.e., monopolist or oligopolist) capitalists. She clearly says she doesn't want to see monopolies and is favor of breaking them up. She also, of course, played an influential role in the 1st term of the Reagan administration when they (among other things) broke up Ma Bell.

I am not sure she wouldn't have supported keeping Glass-Steagall or breaking up Too Big To Fail Banks.

Friedman and Rand clearly saw a role for government for police, defense, and our legal system. Clearly, an extension of those agencies would touch business. After all, why else would she support the break-up of AT&T?

But let's all -- as proponents of free markets -- think for ourselves instead of only speculating about what Rand would have thought. After the last 2 years, to me, it's clear that government's primary role in relation to a healthy free market system is to set and enforce the "rules of the game" such that the entire game isn't at risk of stopping... as it almost did last year.

Rules of the game means preventing monopolies that inhibit choice. It means -- to me, and I don't care what Friedman or Greenspan used to think on this -- you prosecute no-talent fund managers who cheat their investors by illegally trading on insider information. It means giving shareholders -- the true owners of the corporation -- the right and freedom to toss out under-performance directors.

On the other hand, I don't think the government should be setting pay, deciding that Bear should get bought and Lehman should go under. They also shouldn't be saying that more sub-prime borrowers have the right to own a home as part of "the American Dream."

Strong "rules of the game" set and enforced by the government allows 'real' free market capitalism -- and they would have the secondary benefit of also removing crony capitalists who have stopped competing on ability and instead compete on lobbyist dollars spent.

BloggingStocks: AT&T, Inc. (NYSE: T) has seen incredible gain on the back of the Apple iPhone in the last two years. So much, in fact, that its national wireless network is most likely strained -- causing many an iPhone customer to constantly have problems with ... Read more

BloggingStocks: Cable giant Comcast (NASDAQ: CMCSA) posted Q3 numbers earlier today. It seems like the company is doing well with earnings growth and cash flow, even if revenues moved up a meager 3%. Adjusted earnings per share grew over 20% to 28 cents per share. ... Read more