As I like to bring up in these discussions, the old Ma Bell wasn&#x27;t so wonderful. Until the government forced them to do otherwise, you couldn&#x27;t even own any of the equipment within your own house. Yes, they provided very reliable and high quality telephone service--we&#x27;ve generally gone backwards in that regard--but at high cost, with few options, and at a slow rate of change.<p>There are (probably) natural monopolies. But the term can also just be used to limit competition.