The biggest hurdles to this are the telecom utilities, and the so-called "free market" Republicans who insist that the government not 'compete' with companies.

The biggest hurdles to this are the telecom utilities, and the so-called "free market" Republicans who insist that the government not 'compete' with companies. The utilities have a vested interest to maintain a monopoly. They have been suing localities which put up muni fiber; and have bribed state legislators to pass laws banning community networks. The Republicans have this belief that a 'free market' will fix everything. They claim that the government should not be competing with utilities by providing muni fiber; that the government has an unfair advantage. To them, it's irrelevant that the Internet falls under the heading of infrastructure, and not a luxury. They will do anything to prevent the government from getting into the business. So, between the two, we're stuck in the dark ages.