> Maybe we could have afforded a national deployment of fiber. Here's the fun part - you've already been paying for it. The 1996 Telecommunications Act set up

> Maybe we could have afforded a national deployment of fiber. Here's the fun part - you've already been paying for it. The 1996 Telecommunications Act set up a fund that every telecom user in the USA pays into which was supposed to build high-speed services in rural and disadvantaged areas. > (3) ACCESS IN RURAL AND HIGH COST AREAS- Consumers in all regions of the Nation, including low-income consumers and those in rural, insular, and high cost areas, should have access to telecommunications and information services, including interexchange services and advanced telecommunications and information services, that are reasonably comparable to those services provided in urban areas and that are available at rates that are reasonably comparable to rates charged for similar services in urban areas (PDF warning) https://transition.fcc.gov/Reports/tcom1996.pdf https://transition.fcc.gov/Reports/tcom1996.pdf What actually happened was the telcos used that money to buy their competitors and consolidate the market to where only a few large firms remain (no more "Baby Bells")