Just my "I agree"... should just change the current regulation that requires them to provide landline telephone service to they must provide some minimal always on internet service like 10x1 or something with a VoIP phone for a similar fee. They may have a valid argument that mechanization has reduced the density in the countryside to where it's not feasible however.

Maybe there is something out there that can give us a longer-term snapshot. I'd initially thought that may correlate well with the rise in Smartphone usage, and more 'on-demand' type entertainment. I do think that the "easy" availability of answers is not encouraging people to learn the "nuts and bolts" of why things work.
  Acquisition of that sort of knowledge and how to apply it is what I think expands "real" intelligence.

My personal "Opinion" and it's just that an opinion from just watching all the headlines. I think there are a bunch of potential breakthroughs that are looking to be on the near horizon. i.e. the recent Fusion Energy Breakthrough, Converting Solar Energy to Hydrogen, better battery technology, etc. There is so much stuff that is really starting to look like it's "not that far off" anymore that the powers that be are a bit gun-shy to invest. I'd bet a lot of the power infrastructure investments are like 40-year ROI type investments with all of the above looking more and more likely... they're not sure they'd get a return if they jump with what's available now.

I kind of expect that essentially having to put them all at carport height will make the ground mount be too expensive to be affordable. However, with the big push for Electric Cars one would think may be some extra revenue potential charging them right off the panels in the lot. So maybe they can work that all out. I'm still hoping all these Hydrogen breakthrough articles I see popping up are real.

Last year I absentmindedly left my GPS and Cellphone in the car (was running late to work). About an hour later I realized I didn't have my Cell on me and went out to the car to retrieve it. Lo and behold my TomTom 920T GPS, and my Motorola Q9c were both gone and the window in my car was smashed out. Rough retail value of the phone and gps together were around the $1000.00 range. The police came and took a report, I even actually still had the boxes for both units with the serial numbers. I've not heard anything since.
          What really irks me is that I know for certain that the Cell Phone should be traceable. At least the police could have called Verizon and checked to see if it showed up in any of the 50-100 pawn shops in town. We're not talking major investigate work here, we're talking about what should be a 10-20min call. I called TomTom and also asked them if they could at least make it where that unit will never get an update.. they said it was a feature that many have requested, but at this point in time they didn't offer that.
          I know that there are more important things like murders, etc.. but hey they had to take the time to take the report, could at least do a little diligence.