I guess Comcast doesn't need to capture the local government in places where it's already illegal to build anything. But in other places it has definitely happened.

In most places, permitting is the most direct and immediate roadblock. If you don't start there, you won't make any progress on the issue.

I live in a blue state that actively encourages municipal and cooperative fiber deployment: https://mdbc.us. It's had approximately zero impact outside some rural parts of the state.

Well, "deploying fiber" does not equal "starting a residential FTTP ISP". A ton of fiber infrastructure is only offered B2B.

[deleted]