Larger blocks are not actually necessary with other layered solutions to bitcoin. The people who are pushing big blocks are mostly uninformed of this reality.
In an era of Chinese fabricated asics running on state subsidized energy, I fail to see node centralization as a priority.
https://www.telstra.com.au/support/category/broadband/fix/ho...
> Connection type : upload bandwidth
> ADSL : Up to 1Mbps
> ADSL2+ : Up to 1Mbps
> Cable (Base Plan) : Up to 1Mbps
> Cable (Speed Boost) : Up to 2Mbps
> nbn™ Fixed Network (Base Plan) : Up to 5Mbps (only available in a small proportion of locations)
> nbn™ Fixed Network (Very Fast Speed Boost) : Up to 20Mbps (only available in a small proportion of locations, and only to business customers)
> nbn™ Fixed Network (Super Fast Speed Boost) : Up to 40Mbps (only available in a small proportion of locations, and only to business customers)
> nbn™ Fixed Wireless : Up to 5Mbp (only available in a small proportion of locations)
Welcome to the world outside of your bubble. A node currently takes up about 35% of the upload bandwidth of an internet connection. At a minimum.
> I fail to see node centralization as a priority.
And therein lies your problem. While you continue to hold to that belief, you will find that the direction of bitcoin will go contrary to your desires.
As segwit generally improves the protocol (makes it more efficient, fixes a transaction malleability issue, increases capacity and gives way to proposed future improvements) and doesn't require a hardfork, I think it makes sense to apply that first.
And if with segwit and all the improvements it enables the capacity still doesn't prove to be enough for the future growth, we can hardfork to dynamically increase the block size.
But for now, we need to do something. Why not do the thing that's simpler to put into effect and provides more benefits?