As an HN viewer I keep giving WTFs every time HNers discuss potential solutions to problems without even considering how other places solved them.

It's not just an american media problem. Plenty of people here calling for municipal broadband ignoring what worked in other countries.

I was thinking the same thing until I learned about the high speed train plans California had (and still have?) and just how much of a disaster it is. It’s a red tape issue and nobody at the policy level seems to care to fix it.