The idea that local governments would block ISPs request to upgrade lines doesn't hold up, in my opinion.
First problem is the US has some of the most expensive and slowest internet in the world. Every country that has cheaper and faster internet has greater government involvement. So logically you can deduce that if the US wants cheaper and faster internet, that is the most likely method to achieve it.
2nd.. There is not a history of this, municipalities haven't been blocking companies from upgrading their lines and municipality ISPs currently exist.
3rd, Comcast and Time Warner have orders of magnitudes more capital to use to legally fight a municipality not allowing them to upgrade lines.
4th. local governments are actually held accountable to their citizens. If a local government denies them the right to upgrade lines, comcast just makes it public, citizens hire new officials that promise not to block upgrade of lines. This isn't the federal level, where local votes don't matter.
First problem is the US has some of the most expensive and slowest internet in the world. Every country that has cheaper and faster internet has greater government involvement. So logically you can deduce that if the US wants cheaper and faster internet, that is the most likely method to achieve it.
2nd.. There is not a history of this, municipalities haven't been blocking companies from upgrading their lines and municipality ISPs currently exist.
3rd, Comcast and Time Warner have orders of magnitudes more capital to use to legally fight a municipality not allowing them to upgrade lines.
4th. local governments are actually held accountable to their citizens. If a local government denies them the right to upgrade lines, comcast just makes it public, citizens hire new officials that promise not to block upgrade of lines. This isn't the federal level, where local votes don't matter.