Another anecdote, I paid for DSL to be brought to my area. A neighbor chipped in and bought an extra mile to be upgraded. It was costly but worth it. I pretty much considered it a cost of having my house where it is.
There are only six residencies in my unincorporated township. All but one have DSL, now. The one that doesn't have it, doesn't want it. They live beyond where the power and phone lines stop, anyhow.
Anyhow, they are all pretty happy and grateful. As I was moving into the area, this was a good ice breaker. I'd say that I definitely got good value for the money. I get ~12 Mbps down. More importantly, a neighbor brought me some Piccadilly, just today. Worth every penny.