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In my experience, nothing stops a facilities provider from serving whomever they like. Video franchises--which don't apply to data service in most states--are almost always non-exclusive. For example, in Seattle, the dominant provider (Comcast) has a franchise that specifically says it is not the sole property of Comcast. Another company, Wave Broadband, also has a franchise to serve the city but only serves specific portions of it. Meanwhile, companies like Condo Internet are free to provide gigabit service to whomever they like, so they serve only the buildings that are the most profitable. The biggest problem is that last-mile is a very, very, very expensive proposition. Ask Verizon. Their former CEO, Ivan Seidenberg, learned that the hard way. Digging up streets, attaching to poles, and plopping down equipment all costs a lot of money. It also, in the case of cabinet-sized telco equipment, can really irk the neighbors. Ultimately, if we want real competition for more than just high-end condominiums, we need to start treating physical plant connections like roads, power lines, and water pipes: a central, neutral authority builds them for the benefit of a specific geographical area and then all comers are allowed to use them. (No, HOAs, building your own coax network and then having some cut-rate third-tier ISP become the exclusive owner of those wires doesn't count. That's not competition, either.) |