you usually don't have a choice of who services your address. you usually don't have a choice in pricing. they have no real compelling reason to go above and beyond the "just good enough" service.

Well, the power/gas companies "just good enough" service is better then my ISP service. My ISP tries to raise the price more often and goes out more then my power.

I live in a cold place. The only heat in my building is electric. Wednesday's minimum is 0°Fahrenheit (-18°C). People will probably die of cold if the power goes out for extended periods of time.