Don't build it, and they won't come

USA Today has an extensive piece on municipal broadband projects, outlining the risks and potential benefits to small towns that build their own networks. It goes into detail on how the telecommunications giants like SBC Communications and Comcast have lobbied hard at the local level to kill projects, sometimes successfully.

Danville, Va. Mayor John Hamlin sums up the rationale for these small-town fiber projects well: "This was never a case of 'Build it and they will come,' " Hamlin said. "This was a case of, 'If you don't build it, you know they won't come.'"