Do you live in an apartment building served by cable? If so, you're probably resigned to your local cable operator having a monopoly. But the U.S. Court of Appeals says that's not the way it has to be.

The Federal Communications Commission banned cable monopolies in a 2007 ruling, partly to speed penetration by telcos like AT&T and Verizon as they entered the TV-delivery business, and to encourage the expansion of triple-play service packages (TV, phone, internet). The National Cable & Telecommunications Commission and other groups sued, questioning the FCC's authority. But the appeals court in Washington DC sided with the FCC, effectively outlawing local cable monopolies--unless the cable industry appeals.

See ArsTechnica.