How Cable Competition Will Impact Consumers with Author Susan Crawford

[Note: Due to the continued importance of this topic, I’m sharing with you one of my favorite PowerTalks from the past. This PowerTalk originally was posted on May 10, 2013. However, the following analysis is updated.]

Welcome to another edition of PowerTalk. I’m your host Chris Versace, editor of the investment newsletter PowerTrend Profits and portfolio manager of the Thematic Growth Portfolio at Fabian Wealth Strategies, and these are my one-on-one conversations with the movers and shakers in the business world that take you behind the scenes and in the know. Be sure to check out ChrisVersace.com for more on PowerTrends and past editions of PowerTalk, as well as FabianWealth.com for more on my Thematic Growth Portfolio.

Given AT&T’s (T) pending acquisition of cable company DirecTV (DTV), I thought today would be a good opportunity to revisit my PowerTalk with Susan Crawford from May 10, 2013. At the time, she had recently published the book “Captive Audience: The Telecom Industry and Monopoly Power in the New Gilded Age.”

The fundamentals discussed in last May’s PowerTalk are still intact. This commentary allows us to view the T-DTV deal with added context, as it covered issues of cable competition and consolidation. AT&T’s recent activities contrast with those of Comcast, which built a competitive moat around its business by acquiring content, whereas T chose to attempt to purchase an entire company.

The interview covers a range of topics increasingly valid and relevant today, including what I like to call the Connected Society: WiFi, the Cloud, high-speed Internet and on-demand programming. The Connected Society is a key part of my Always On, Always Connected PowerTrend. There is still plenty to learn from this conversation, so take a listen.

NOTE: Fabian Wealth Strategies is a Securities and Exchange Commission-registered investment adviser, and is not affiliated with Eagle Financial Publications.

Listen to my behind-the-scenes May 10, 2013 PowerTalk conversation now, so you are even more in the know:

Access prior PowerTalk interviews here:

How the Continuing Water Crisis will Affect You with Debra Coy

Where Job Creation and Obama’s Policies Disconnect with Liz Peek

How State Regulation Limits Your Freedom for Guilty Pleasures with Michelle Minton, Competitive Enterprise Institute Fellow

How to Measure the Effectiveness of Multi-Media Advertising with Jeff Zwelling of Convertro

How the Cloud will Affect Corporate America and You with Jay Chapel, CEO of Ostrato