I have this exact issue currently. I live the largest city in my state, and I only have internet service available from one(1) ISP. That ISP has chosen to provide only 2 levels of service, I can buy 5Mpbs unlimited for $55/mo or I can buy 50Mbps limited to 50GB of bandwidth, with each GB over costing $0.50. I've checked my bandwidth usage and the limited, albeit higher speed, package would end up costing me well over $100/mo with my current usage. I don't subscribe to cable, because I prefer to stream from Netflix et al. If I were to use cable I would be able to get cable tv plus 50Mbps limited to 100GB of bandwidth per month for $90. As you can see, they're not very interested in providing just internet service to people, and since they currently have the monopoly I have no choice but to pay the exorbitant rates, or purchase service that I won't even use.

Actually the Rural areas are generally the easiest from what I've seen out here in North Dakota. Many farmsteads have fiber run to them because it's easy to run cable in ditches where there are no buildings, gaslines, plumbing, and other such hazards to laying cable that there are with populated areas. However, some other members of my family haven't been as lucky buying a house in a new development. They don't have the ability to get phone or cable without paying a $5,000 fee to the cable company because there aren't enough people living out there to justify them laying cable as of yet.

Not to mention the exhorbitant prices. I realize it takes some training to deal with computer hardware, but these people had brought their laptop in for a "tune up" I'm guessing GS runs a few different automated tools and then gives it back. They were charged $500 for this "service". I'm guessing you could go to any local shop and pay under $100 for the same services. There's almost no labor involved in it, you just plug it in and run your diagnostics/scripts.They also told the people that they would need to replace the hard drive within a year...

On a side note, I was returning a cable modem because they had sold it to me telling me that it would work with my ISP, the only ISP in the area that I am aware of, and yet when I got home and called to register the MAC address. I was told it would not work with the network.

Odd how Best Buy sold cable modems that were incompatible with the only ISP in my area, on top of that they were only stocking 3 models at the time, none of which worked with my ISPs network.