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This could be easily summed up with a public poll with one question, "Would you switch ISP if you had a better option?"

My thought is somewhere around 98% would say yes, if not 99 and some points.

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What does this not apply to? Would you have picked a different option if you had a better option?

That’s not the question, though - it’s would they switch. Switching has significant friction, at least in people’s minds. You probably wouldn’t switch from ISP1 at $30/mo to ISP2 at $29.95/mo (with the same service) unless you’re irritated with ISP1 for other reasons. You might have chosen ISP2 if you were starting from scratch, though.

So what does "better option" imply?

Better enough to overcome the switching cost.

So you agree the question is meaningless. If “better” means “better enough to overcome the switching cost”, then the answer to “would you switch ISP if you had a better option?” would by definition always be yes.

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