> Do you look at the picture I linked, and think this is a preferable end state over some extra regulatory cost? Alternatively, we can dispense with the false

> Do you look at the picture I linked, and think this is a preferable end state over some extra regulatory cost? Alternatively, we can dispense with the false dichotomy (along with the presumption that the technical constraints of 19th-century telegraph lines are applicable to modern telecom) and identify ways to incentivize competitive markets without dealing with externaliies by imposing regulatory barriers that ultimately generate oligopolies. OTOH, the modern version of your picture would probably consist of dozens of fiber lines all running through the same network of underground conduit, so the most direct answer to your question is "yes, absolutely".