Re: the real problem
That's almost exactly what we have here in Texas with the electricity market. There's a regulated transmission cost (the wires) and a cost for the actual energy that's coming across those wires. There are a LOT of choices, packaged a lot of different ways, with a website that allows you to see all the offers: www.powertochoose.org
Bottom line is, you get to choose a plan and a commitment level that works for you, take pricing risk if you want to (or not), and find the best deal for YOUR needs and usage patterns. If only we had something close to this with Cable/ISPs. At this point I'd be thrilled just to get a la carte cable pricing!
