[ta1243]

One wonders how we ran electricity out everywhere.

Running a fibre is about the same cost as running a power cable.

[hattmall]

That would be the REA, Rural Electrification Act, part of Roosevelt's new deal. Citizens could form co-ops and pay some of their own and get some grants from government. A very big number of those co-ops are now running fiber too.

[s1artibartfast]

Cheaper labor and fewer challenges.

There is a lot of infrastructure where the cost to replace is an order of magnitude higher than the inflation adjusted original cost.

[Sparyjerry]

Above ground power lines make up most of the it. A pole and wire isn't that expensive. Burying is drastically more expensive.

[ta1243]

So run the fibre on the power line

[Alupis]

They do, where feasible. It's still very expensive, and the poles are owned by another entity which complicates things a bit more as well.

No free lunch, as they say.