You're largely right... local ISPs (cable, telco) have serious entrenchment. They received public funding and easements to roll out infrastructure and pulled up the ladders behind them.

Often localities are hindered by their state governments thanks to lobbying from the incumbents. I would prefer to see more local governments actively rolling their own telecom infrastructure to inter-city/state endpoints (should they choose to). From a security standpoint I feel that most locations should have two options at the least.

I'd also like to see any civil funding start and end at the local municipalities. The feds don't do well managing these things as noted in TFA.