The key thing is ownership. I was part of a large government network buildout a long time ago that was like an ISP for state/local that also provided secure connectivity.
We owned lots of fiber, which was managed by third parties. The downstream customers benefited from better terms and buildout of the last mile infrastructure before private entities were doing it.
If we had the political environment that allowed for old style utility regulation, I would agree that commercial utilities would be better - the old dial up ISP market demonstrated how robust and effective competitive market prices were. But we do not have that environment today.
We owned lots of fiber, which was managed by third parties. The downstream customers benefited from better terms and buildout of the last mile infrastructure before private entities were doing it.
If we had the political environment that allowed for old style utility regulation, I would agree that commercial utilities would be better - the old dial up ISP market demonstrated how robust and effective competitive market prices were. But we do not have that environment today.