May 20, 2009 3:31PM 

# Does Congress Know Media Markets Better Than Media Markets Do? 

By [Jim Harper](https://www.cato.org/people/jim-harper) 

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No. But some members of Congress [think they do](http://www.nationaljournal.com/congressdaily/cda_20090520_7898.php).

In the section of Tim Lee’s “[Durable Internet](https://www.cato.org/pub_display.php?pub_id=9775)” paper titled *Customers Gone Wild: Why Ownership Doesn’t Mean Control*, he showed how powerful online consumers are. They can surely decide whether media markets are forming up contrary to their interests, and they can punish providers who get on the wrong side of their demands.

##### Related Tags 

[Technology and Privacy](https://www.cato.org/technology-privacy) 

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