DSL is not an option for the rural coverage, only cable and fibre. Satellite already serves rural areas. The material used is not the major cost, the labor to run it is. The best value and bang for the buck is fibre. But it does cost more than copper. So the savings of sticking with the lower speed copper is turned into profits.
If the rural ares get higher speeds, then suburban and urban areas will demand increases. Can't have that, all that investment eats profits.
Biting the hand that feeds IT
