said by McShaken:The behavior of AT&T and other large providers clearly shows that there isn't enough competition.
Do you really want dozens of companies stringing up power lines and communication cable to serve first-mile customers?
First-mile is barely profitable now with only one or two players in a market. That is why Verizon sold northern New England to FairPoint. Who in their right mind would invest the capital to be the fifth company to wire up a neighborhood.
We need to draw a distinction between first-mile access providers which are an oligopoly at best and the services carried over those facilities.
First-Mile access requires extensive regulation to force companies to act in the long term interest of customers rather then the short term interest of of company.
Internet services on the other had are extremely competitive and barriers to entry are few. As such the need only the most basic of regulation.
/tom