As a contrasting experience - AT&T owns the rights to supply internet via overhead lines where I live (it's rural here), with a contractual agreement to provide high speed access. Because they're a multi-billion dollar corporation and we're a township of around 500 people (and our town council are fucking morons) it's a forever agreement, and high speed is defined as dial-up.
Meanwhile, the local co-op ISP just finished running underground fiber to the township. Full gig connection for $250 set-up fee (with a 1000yd drop to your house if necessary) and $80/month forever.
In a township that small and moronic council members, have you ever been tempted to run for council position yourself? I'd have concerns that I'd become a moron in that sense as usually there are such deep rooted moronic decisions that non-morons can't do anything. So now the non-moron comes across as moronic as well.
But that's just my own personal fear.
The problem in small towns is that the idiots in charge, generally, haven't ever left the small towns. Therefore, they are blissfully unaware of their ignorance. They don't even know what they don't know.
They apply lessons their fathers and mothers learned in the 50's and 60's about how business is done with a handshake and a friendly disposition to today's world.
And if you don't have the right last name or the willingness to defer to their ignorant authority, you can't get anything done.
It's frustrating to see the same people from the same families making the same stupid mistakes for literally generations. It's more frustrating to be excluded from that process that you know you can help fix just because you dared to leave the community for any period of time regardless of whether it was for fun or for advanced university studies or your last name is tainted because your grandpa was a complete shithead, regardless of how you turned out.
A bit of a rant. But. I have been tempted to run, and I have been elected to the council. And I couldn't get anything done, because I was purposefully excluded as an outsider with too much education, regardless of what I tried. It was frustrating.
Meanwhile, the local co-op ISP just finished running underground fiber to the township. Full gig connection for $250 set-up fee (with a 1000yd drop to your house if necessary) and $80/month forever.