> More ISP's can't run fiber to your house because the local law prevents them. Wouldn't these companies need some kind of affirmative government assistance, n

> More ISP's can't run fiber to your house because the local law prevents them. Wouldn't these companies need some kind of affirmative government assistance, not only the lack of government prohibition? Very few (if any) potential new entrants into the market actually own land or rights of way sufficient to run "last-mile" cables to residential homes. At the very least it seems like they'd need permission to dig up streets (which they don't own) and get some kind of easement rights across property they don't own. Or are there really utility companies that 100% own all the land (or delegated rights such as an easement) needed to do a run, and are still being prohibited by local law from running the cables on their own land? I could imagine the latter situation existing in a few cases, but not many; more or less only in the case of a greenfield development where the developer owns the entire subdivision.