If the state wants Verizon to provide a public service, the state should pay for it then.<p>&gt;That&#x27;s fine, but this is today, and we&#x27;re not there yet.<p>But that is the issue. Maintaining a network like that requires longterm capital investment. Verizon can&#x27;t rent a network for 10 years. If you expect Verizon to operate a service will be gone in ten years, then they have to depreciate the assets over that period. Which increases the price.