If the major telco and cable companies weren't consistently the most hated companies in the country...well, these things wouldn't spring up. There wouldn't be sufficient drive among people to make it happen; it's hard to get something done in government. So, the fact that it has gotten done in a number of municipalities should be taken as a warning sign for just how poorly existing providers are doing their job.

Internet is a necessity for participating in the modern economy. So, companies that provide it, particularly when they hold a monopoly or are part of a duopoly, wield a tremendous amount of power; or, maybe even worse, when they have a strong enough hold on a given region but opt not to provide broadband to some of their service area, making it nearly impossible for some rural folks to even have broadband. They've shown themselves unworthy of being trusted with such power, over and over again. It's unfortunate that legislators in NC are complicit in that abusive behavior.