| The "they fund it with taxpayers money" meme is greatly overstating the actual level of direct taxpayer funding of network infrastructure in these other countries. Go read the Berkman Center study for the full details.
Also, this meme ignores the fact that both taxpayers and ratepayers here in the U.S. have spent quite a bit on our major ISPs. They've been given billions in tax benefits in the form of accelerated depreciation; the ILECs have special preferential treatment on pole attachments; they get utility right-of-way preferential treatment, yet as ISPs are not regulated like utilities; and in some states, folks regulated phone bills were allowed to be increased above the normal price cap price in exchange for promises of ftth deployment. |
