In the 1903 case of Postal Telegraph-Cable Co v. New Hope, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in favor of the telegraph company, stating that a Pennsylvania state law requiring telegraph companies to receive and transmit messages from and for other similar companies was unconstitutional. The court held that this law violated both due process under the Fourteenth Amendment as well as interstate commerce regulations because it forced private businesses into relationships they might not otherwise choose to enter into voluntarily. This decision reinforced principles of free enterprise by protecting corporations' rights to conduct business without undue interference from government regulation or mandated partnerships with competitors.

In the dissenting opinion for Postal Telegraph-Cable Co v. New Hope, it was argued that the majority's decision to uphold a Pennsylvania law requiring telegraph companies to maintain offices and operators in every town they serve violated the Commerce Clause of the U.S. Constitution. The dissent contended that this state regulation interfered with interstate commerce by imposing an undue burden on telegraph companies operating across state lines. They believed that such matters should be regulated at a federal level rather than by individual states, as inconsistent regulations could disrupt operations and create confusion for businesses engaged in interstate commerce. Furthermore, they expressed concern about potential negative impacts on technological advancement if each state were allowed to impose its own unique requirements on telecommunications providers.