Competition?
Where I live I have one choice for landline - the local telco coop. They are also the only not-satellite choice for internet and very low quality cable TV.
They say they will have fiber to the premises in 5 years or so, I might get lucky in two. Right now you have to be in the county seat to get it at all. Monopoly pricing.
The rest of us? DSL at $80/mo for 1 megabit up, 3 down. Faster not available. Cell phones don't work in valleys.
If you have a cell phone, which I don't - It's Verizon or roaming charges, or again, satellite. Neighbors complain about Verizon's well known dodgy billing practices.
I wouldn't know...I have a landline and I'm good. My time away from home is my time, not for any bozo who has my number. I don't keep minutes available on my Volt's built-in phone, and don't even know its number (those are some expensive minutes - satellite - and they roll off if not used up).
Yes, there are other providers a few miles away (Cox cable and AT&T in the big town some miles up the interstate) - but as has been reported - and is true - they make agreements to not compete on one another's turf.
That SHOULD be the story, it's not in dispute, but gets willfully ignored when stories like this come up, How can you reduce zero competition further?
Biting the hand that feeds IT
