It's not just copper vs fiber though: by the time of reunification West Germany was already mostly done with the transition from cheap overhead wiring to the lu

It's not just copper vs fiber though: by the time of reunification West Germany was already mostly done with the transition from cheap overhead wiring to the luxury of invisible (and storm-proof) underground cables. A return to putting up poles would have felt like the cliche of a failing businessman telling his trophy wife that they can't afford the country club membership anymore. Its much harder to give up an expensive habit than to never start. I'm sure that there are "underground wiring" countries with widespread fiber deployment and that Germany is doing worse than those, but comparisons to places where overhead is still accepted are skewed.