One big circle

I was listening to a news segment on television about Starbucks. They were talking about a new larger size cup that was available for take out. They went on to say in select locations you could pay for your purchase with your smart phone. Push in a few numbers and pass it in front of the register,bam it's done. I'm thinking it must be like those speed pass things at the Mobil station. Never have seen anyone use one of those however.
This set me to thinking. I remember many years ago the government was upset with the telephone company. Ma Bell we used to call it back then. Wonder if these kids today know that ? At any rate Ma Bell was getting too big and had a monopoly on the telephone business. It was time to deregulate that monster. After that we did have other companies. Of course most of them rented the phone lines from Ma Bell but at least it wasn't Ma Bell. No longer were we shackled to AT&T.
Then came the wireless networks. There are a few leaders in the industry. Verizon I think is probably the largest. They all use the same satellites and towers however. Interesting is the fact that Howard Hughes really started all this with the satellites. These companies learned from past mistakes and so far have avoided government regulation or rather deregulation. There are numerous providers for this service. The government will even provide you with  this service if you can't afford it yourself. It's considered essential !
You can get service plans of all types. Unlimited text,videos and calls. Free calls to friends and family. Calling circles. The phone itself is free.
And so it goes. I can use my smart phone to make purchases. Does this mean the end to credit cards ? What about cash ? Are we doing away with good old American greenbacks ? Science fiction ? Maybe ,maybe not. I'm thinking it is a conspiracy on the part of the phone companies to get back at the government.
Break up Ma Bell will you ? It has taken some time but we are coming back. We already have the majority of the population slaves to their phones (unknown to them) and the others want them. It's only a matter of time. Control the cash and you control the country.