Arthur acknowledged there would be "forces in the other direction" that might push fees down, such as competition between universities.
They could push fees for loans, such as mortgages, or impose charges on current accounts, which might otherwise be seen as "free".
That will push fees higher too.This eliminates price as a market force in high education and also adds to the state's bill, for government pays the fees until a student graduates and earns an annual salary above £21,000.
An eBay deal could push Skype's free service as a tool for auction customers, and then aggressively push fee-based calling and other existing services, according to the research firm.
Now actively managed ETFs will push fees down because they cost less to operate than actively managed mutual funds.
Should a retailer revolt push fees down again, Amex would have a bigger problem than would its two competitors.
But even if the final decision goes against the schools, it may well be based on their sharing of information, rather than estimates of how much this pushed fees up.When they realised in 2003 that they might be breaking the law, the schools immediately stopped sharing information.
And Capitol Hill aides say chances are better than ever this year to push a fee increase through Congress.
The deal was done - Liverpool paid QPR £500,000 plus add-ons that could push the fee to £2m.
"When Abbott tried to push through fee deregulation, students came out in their thousands in what were the largest student protests in 10 years," Demanuele says.
"If retailers have the right to surcharge and tell [credit card companies] we're going to surcharge unless they bring fees down, it would be a tremendous way to pressure credit card companies to push swipe fees down," he said.
