The problem is open protocols can just as easily be consolidated down to network monopolies at the application layer.
Look at what happened to SMS (Apple's malicious implementation pushing everyone onto propriety networks like WhatsApp). Or email, where Outlook and Gmail have a bulletproof duopoly, leading to decades of stagnation. Outlook still renders emails with the 2006-era Microsoft Word html engine (Gmail is almost as behind on this), hence why email still doesn't support a lot of modern (>10 years old) accessibility features.
Things like ownership over domain names in the email protocol still create monopolies -- since Google owns gmail.com, it's literally like them owning your telephone number/mailbox. If you're like 99.9% of consumers without their own domain name for email, you cannot switch. Gmail owns you.
Look at what happened to SMS (Apple's malicious implementation pushing everyone onto propriety networks like WhatsApp). Or email, where Outlook and Gmail have a bulletproof duopoly, leading to decades of stagnation. Outlook still renders emails with the 2006-era Microsoft Word html engine (Gmail is almost as behind on this), hence why email still doesn't support a lot of modern (>10 years old) accessibility features.
Things like ownership over domain names in the email protocol still create monopolies -- since Google owns gmail.com, it's literally like them owning your telephone number/mailbox. If you're like 99.9% of consumers without their own domain name for email, you cannot switch. Gmail owns you.