If you get 'free' fiber you are just punting the cost to other members. It cost me $15,000 to establish my co-op membership 1,000 ft it went to the next guy.

If you get 'free' fiber you are just punting the cost to other members. It cost me $15,000 to establish my co-op membership 1,000 ft it went to the next guy. Our bylaws require all members to pay 100% of the full unsubsidized cost of extension up front. This is fairly common. Not a lot of co-ops are built where prior entrants foot the full cost of new entrants. The real cost of extending fiber can be $10+ a foot overhead or $30+ underground, which is a hard sell to prior entrants as a freebie to toss out.