Clark despises monopolies. He has a built-in prejudice that makes him automatically expect bad things from them. One of his least favorite monopolies (one that invariably gets some of the lowest score in customer satisfaction ratings) is the cable industry. Comcast, the nation's largest cable operator, is not only raising rates by around 5%, but it's recently begun to put caps on the usage of its Comcast internet service. What's driving this? Clark says to look toward South Korea, which has one of the most advanced internet systems in the world. Younger Koreans no longer subscribe in large numbers to pay television. They watch TV mainly over the internet and on their advanced-technology media phones. Over the next year or two it will become much easier to get internet programming onto your big screen in this country as well. Comcast is very afraid of this trend, and has responded with this cap on internet usage. If you exceed their limit, they'll fire you as a customer. Time Warner Cable is looking at metering internet usage as well.

Even though the US pioneered the web, our internet capacity is now at third world standards. Other countries are much more advanced, and pricing reflects that. For example, Korea's ultra-fast high speed connection costs only about $7 a month - compare that to what you're paying here in the States! You can thank the cable monopolies for that.

In the early days of NetFlix, no one was quite sure if the company's business model would work. Now they've become an enormous success and have practically demolished competitors like Blockbuster.

The next challenge NetFlix has to face is the on-demand movie threat. So the company has come up with a $99 box that delivers on-demand flicks directly to your TV. A monthly subscription fee of about $9 is required to have access to some 10,000 movies.

Netflix is hoping this device will help them counter the on-demand services from some of the cable companies. But do you really want another box on top of your TV? That's become valuable real estate.

In related news, expect to see more tiny computers during the next few years. This trend should be a real boon for all the road warriors who have to lug around heavy laptops.

Clark has a new Hewlett Packard mini-laptop ($599) that weighs 2 pounds and has a full keyboard. It can fit easily in a woman's purse or inside a carry-on bag -- no need for a separate computer bag.

Think of it as HP's response to Clark's beloved "Triple E" PC. Clark was an early adopter of the "Triple E" and bought it for $399. Now he recently saw BJ's selling it for $274!

So business travelers and others, take heart. The days of hurting your shoulder are over. You no longer need to lug a heavy laptop and create a living for the chiropractors!

The Hollywood writer's strike has inadvertently changed the way people watch TV. People in their 20s and 30s have turned to watching the equivalent of TV on their computers. The growth of sites like YouTube and JibJab has definitely helped out. Nielsen Media Research reports that almost 50 percent of viewers 34 or younger now watch full-length TV shows on a computer.

TiVo allowed you to watch TV on your schedule; the next generation of developments will allow you to watch what you want, where you want across platform. Imagine being a cable company and seeing your vice grip on the market blown apart by tech innovations. Now ESPN is making its programming available to military personnel and educators/students anywhere in the world for free on their computers. That's going to be a major blow to the cable and satellite companies who rely on business from customers signing up to get ESPN. It's now also very easy to take your computer and run a cable to your TV, allowing you to watch Internet content on the boob tube. The next thing coming down the pike will be watching Internet content on your TV in hi-def. One day Clark's 2-year-old son will marvel at the fact that TV used to be something you watched on a schedule decided by the cable or satellite company.

Have you been hearing all about the coming switch to high-definition TV? There's some misinformation floating around that Clark wants to clear up. If you still get your reception via rabbit ears or a roof-based antenna, your old TV will not be obsolete when the switch is made from analog to digital signals in early 2009. That's because you'll be able to get a converter box for around $50 -- and the feds will even subsidize around $40 of it. So there's no need to buy a new HDTV -- unless you really want one! Meanwhile, how you watch TV is going to be changing. Hulu.com is a new website that will make network TV shows available via your high-speed internet connection. But the really big news that Clark's excited about is that 32-inch LCDs are being designed to hook up to your computer. You can even split the signal so that you don't have to check your e-mail on the boob tube. Clark loves all the changes and choices that are coming -- even though he doesn't really watch TV! We're moving into era where you'll be able to be anywhere in the world and watch the shows you love if you have a high-speed Internet connection.

Renters are about to enjoy the benefits of more competition for their cable business. The FCC plans to announce that landlords can no longer rip-off tenants by dictating which TV/cable/Internet providers they can use. Landlords previously could receive huge kickbacks from little private cable companies by signing exclusive deals for their buildings. When it comes to cable service, we don't have a lot of choice in this arena to begin with thanks to monopolies. The FCC's upcoming move will afford renters a little more wiggle room. Very rarely has a landlord dictating who you can go with for cable been a positive thing. In one unusual case, Clark's executive producer Christa once lived in an apartment where the management company offered her cable service at below-market price. Right now there's no telling how soon renters will feel the benefit of the upcoming FCC decision. On a related note, renters already have the right to go the satellite route. Under the Satellite Home Viewers Act, you can get satellite if you have a clear shot of the southern sky.

In 1983, the government broke up the phone company monopoly. Back then, if you wanted phone service, you could only lease the phone from the phone company, and the phone could only do what the phone company said it could do. Up until 1983, it was typical to have one telephone. It was illegal to buy a phone from somewhere else (overseas), but people still would find a way to get around this monopoly. Once that monopoly broke up, the cordless phone came along, along with fancy new phone sets. Thus, once the market is unleashed, the innovation is extraordinary. Now, we are in the midst of that in the cable industry! Starting July 1st 2007, you will be free from buying the cable companies’ cable box. For a while, this will only be noticed by “techno-nerds”. Around Christmas 2008, this will be a craze! The technologies that will be unleashed will be phenomenal! DVR and electronic devices may have one cable signal—one device sending signals all around the house! You can feed the internet, such as YouTube videos or other signals, onto your TV. You will be in control, not the cable company! Remember 1999 with Replay TV (that preceded technologies like Tivo.) No one understood that for years. It’s the same with the new cable technology.

Clark wants you all to know that he is about to sleep with the enemy. After 12 years with a satellite company, he’s switching to cable for pay television service. Needless to say, his family is not too happy with him. His daughter lost the shows she’d saved on the DVR and his wife is having trouble getting used to the change. But the cable company had a better deal. They offered cash a decent amount of cash to switch, and Clark couldn’t say no. When Clark called Direct TV to disconnect, the representative said he’d never had anyone cancel after that many years. But Clark figures he’ll be back. The cable company will run out of money at some point, and Direct TV will have a full HDTV set up. That’s what Clark is hoping for.

Clark has been thinking of changing his high-speed Internet service because it’s getting so expensive. For most people it’s a two horse race, and Clark is one of those folks. Right now, it’s either the local monopoly phone company or the local monopoly cable company. Recently, the phone company cut the rates and he was about to switch, but he decided to call his current company first to see if they would offer him a better deal. He’s currently paying about $43 a month, which is outrageous. When he told the “customer retention specialist” that he was about to cancel, she offered him three months for $9.99 a month. She told him to call back again in 90 days to see if he could get the same deal. He was so excited about saving $100 in a four minute phone call that he told everyone. Then his Smart Money magazine arrived and knocked him down a notch. The issue, which is about saving on cable and Internet service, says not to take any three-month offers and to keep fighting for more. The reporter was able to get a discount on service for an entire year! Phone companies are also reducing costs, so you may want to consider switching companies all together, as Clark was about to do. Also, if you can, cut your home phone line to the minimum line cost. You don’t use it much anyway, thanks to cell phones, and you can usually get it down to between $17 and $20 a month total. Also, consider scaling back your cable or satellite service. Get just the broadcast channels. You may also be paying way too much for your cell phone service. Now that you can take your number with you, consider switching to Metro PCS or Cricket. They offer unlimited calling in your local area for one low price.