> a government ISP has inherent anti-competitive properties (such as tax funding), It is exceedingly rare that municipal networks are built with direct tax fun

> a government ISP has inherent anti-competitive properties (such as tax funding), It is exceedingly rare that municipal networks are built with direct tax funding. Municipalities just don't have that kind of money lying around. Municipal networks are normally funded with bonds, much like commercial networks. > even if it doesn't go even further and ignore regulations it applies to everyone else. That's an interesting assertion. Can you name one regulation that municipal networks can ignore, that applies to everyone else? > Imagine trying to compete with a competitor that everyone has to pay for (in whole or in part) whether they use it or not, Municipal networks are usually paid for by it's users and subscribers. Sure, you can imagine things, but this scenario just doesn't play out that often in reality. > and that gets to set the rules you have to follow but that it can choose not to. Which rules are you referring to? > I don't think any of the ISP objections or court cases would hold up against an actual community effort, as opposed to a government effort. If a group of people got together and decided to start a community ISP, nothing should stop them. Unfortunately this isn't true. Some states even regulate what networks co-ops can build and operate. Some ISPs even do their best to annihilate open access and dark fiber networks by municipalities.