Comment Re:stupid Anti Government People (Score 2) 338
To summarize, previously there was no vertical integration. ISPs didn't own the last mile. And I think that's the model we need to go back to.
Suppose ISPs no longer own the last mile. That's either a government or even any 3rd party. All an ISP needs to do to provide service to an area is to run a fiber to the main patch panel for that area. Suddenly it's easy for more players to get in to the ISP business and offer service to an area.
My main point being is that the last mile infrastructure is a natural monopoly. It's relatively expensive to lay and it's typically not economical to have multiple providers. The reason water, sewer, and roads are typically provided by local governments is that there's no benefit to privatization. You privatize roads, and all you get is a heavily regulated monopoly.
So, I don't want government internet any more than I want a government grocery store. Wrong solution to the wrong problem. I do want to separate the last mile from the ISP/Cable company/whatever. Markets work, but only where there is an actual functioning market.