Because they never do, they subsidize the deployment of large expensive over many years or decades. Dams, power plants, sewer systems, water systems are never paid for up front but instead pay for themselves over a very long time.

Ooohhh that's even better. The Post Office? Been to one lately? Yeah, there's a model of customer service and efficiency.

Also from the very wikipedia article you referenced:

The USPS has not directly received taxpayer-dollars since the early 1980s with the minor exception of subsidies for costs associated with the disabled and overseas voters. However, it does receive tens to hundreds of millions per year in "implicit subsidies", such as breaks on property tax, vehicle registration, and sales tax, in addition to subsidized government loans.

I'm failing to understand what is so awful about ensuring municipalities cover their expenses in an equitable manner.

Under this law Chattanooga (not Charlotte) would not have been able to build their network.

imo your close the fed govt should take it over THEN turn the infrastructure over to the USPS it might make them relevant again
then run the whole thing like Utopia in UT

Which is an intentional hurdle for municipalities that makes them have to increase their price while gaining no additional revenue.

Government should do a complete take over of the entire national infrastructure of broadband.

Private companies also use other divisions within their corporate umbrella to prop up poor performing products and services, maybe we should ban private entities from doing that as well?

firephoto read my previous reply for a link to a report where several communities with a can-do attitude did muni fiber following the constraints I mentioned.

The investors you are talking about do create jobs in China in India in the Philippines in Mexico in Taiwan.

You sir need to stop touting the party line and start thinking for yourself.

-- the municipality can't subsidize their ISP from other funds or tax streams
*** AT&T is able to subsidize with other revenue streams. In fact, that said revenue they collect goes out of state. Community broadband revenue STAYS in the community along with the jobs it creates

>>> irrelevant. AT&T is a corporation that reports based on GAAP and they roll up their P&L corporate wide. They can't tax their users like a municipality can. That is why this is a leveling-the-playing-field thing. The whole point is the voters vote a bond or a tax for one thing, don't let the municipality grab it for something else. Comparing a taxed municipal service to a corporations' offerings is complete apples and oranges.

-- the municipality must bid out the proposal to see if a private firm can do it cheaper/better
*** So that said private company can string them a;long and when all is said and done tie it up in court until it costs too much for the locality to proceed.
>>>> can't fix stupid. If the contract sucks and lets the private company screw the municipality, well, they should have written the contract better and managed it better. That's what they are for.

-- the municipality must get voter approval for funding
*** do you vote when the electric company fixes your power when it goes out? Do you vote when the electric company expannds to new areas. Does AT&T require a vote to expand service, or do they deliver what they promise to do to get these bills through...NO they dont.
>>> what the hell are you even talking about. The subject is calling a vote for new bonds or new taxes. The power company doesn't have to issue a bond to fix my power.

Look at Chattanooga and you tell me if 10s of thousands of jobs, fastest internet in the country, Volkswagen, Amazon, high tech jobs, national recognition, quality of life...tell me it those are reasons. I am sure there are more. I am sick of you free market idiots that have no clue what a real free market is...clue...broadband in this country isnt.

>>> so I looked it up found this interesting report
»www.ilsr.org/wp-content/uploads/···ight.pdf

looks to me like (a) Charlotte and the others in the report did a very nice job (b) I didn't find anything in the report saying that any of these muni fiber projects would have been disqualified by the law passed that we are talking about. it was voted on, it was not cross subsidized, and corporations had their shot .

the whole point is, quit whining about the fact that corporations exist and will stand up and fight, and GO DO YOUR MUNI FIBER FAIRLY AND UNDER THE RULES, and succeed like these towns did.

Government should do a complete take over of the entire national infrastructure of broadband.

- All people and places fully wired with fiber, there is no red lining and people in the hills get it just as well as the people in the high rise.

If you think corporations have the citizen's best interest in mind