In the US, many telecoms operate as a legal monopoly. In exchange for a more or lesscaptive market, telecoms are legally obligated to maintain certain levels of service, among other things - such as rolling out upgrades.<p>This is supposed to provide a higher level of service to the consumer&#x2F;citizen of the area that makes the agreement, while also meaning telecoms don&#x27;t waste their massive upfront costs by having no customers. It&#x27;s supposed to provide the same impetus to improve service as competition. In practice, you get this kind of nonsense.