Then stop funding them with tax payer money.

The big ISPs? I agree - they can’t be trusted. However, in most cases access wasn’t happening at all without grants. The big guys just came in, strutted around promising the sun and the moon, then took the money and sat on it.

I want to see small towns do community infrastructure as an alternative to the terrible single ISPs that are normally present.

In many communities, it isn’t possible to do that without the help of grants… running cable or fiber isn’t cheap.

…but we can agree on this. I’d love to see municipal broadband break up these ISP monopolies.

Unfortunately, many states and municipalities have stupid laws still on the books that explicitly prohibit municipal broadband or force them to jump through hoops like getting ISPs to bid to provide the services first or some other bullshit. Its irrational fear of government run programs and socialism or whatever. Those laws are starting to get repealed.

Edit: I have mixed feelings about StarLink. I don’t trust that they won’t act just as terribly as the rest if given the chance and they are throwing a lot into the atmosphere without considering or planning for the consequences.