I'm not sure the free market has much to do with it. For example, in a lot of areas, the issue was simply local regulations and getting approvals from the loca

I'm not sure the free market has much to do with it. For example, in a lot of areas, the issue was simply local regulations and getting approvals from the local governments. It's hard to build a large metro ring when 1 of the 5 towns you need to go through won't approve the easement expansions necessary. Or, as another example, should you continue to plow ahead with your fiber to the curb strategy when market forecasts are showing internet connected phone usage growing by multiple thousands of percent within the next 10 years?