this post was submitted on 19 Oct 2023
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The thing is though public utilities are supposed to be implemented and paid for by the tax payers of the area. Suggesting that the government shouldn't be doing what we pay tax money for doesn't make sense. That would be like saying , "oh, I know your taxes pay for your government to upkeep the roads, but stop bothering them about it and you and your neighbours band together to fix that sink hole, and those potholes, and reline that crosswalk".
Plus these ISP's took government money to provide and upgrade infrastructure and then didn't do that and faced basically no consequences.
ISPs mostly aren't public utilities, so none of that applies to them. Taxes generally don't go to them. They're no more public utilities or tax funded than a company that would come to your house and cut your grass.
It is true that several times in the last few decades the government has handed ISPs some cash in exchange for doing specific things like expanding service to certain areas. It's more than justified to be mad at them for not holding up their end. That doesn't make them public utilities, though. The government deserves a bunch of blame for that, too, because it's stupid and handed a bunch of private companies a bunch of money with no accountability mechanism. Of course they're gonna take the money and run.
That's why I'm saying stop trusting the government to fix things like this.
The government gave these companies money to build up and expand their infrastructure though. On more than one occasion. And we don't have anything to show for it.