This CNet article says that businesses are realizing the value of dark fiber, and are willing to pay for it.
Here is the money quote:
"....Ford [Motor Company] found that it would cost less to lay its own optical fiber lines than to subscribe to a service from the local phone company."
Bingo. That's exactly right. As more and more businesses require more bandwidth beyond one or two T1 lines, the high prices from incumbents are tipping the tables in favor of community projects. Medium and large businesses in your community can become anchor tenants for a community digital transport system (aka duct, fiber, and wireless). Ford is building their own, but it would be cheaper for them to join a community project.
Good news? Not if your state is one of several that have anti-municipal legislation pending that will take the right of communities to decide their own future away from them.
This article shows how wrong-headed that legislation is. Let's see....our state will outlaw efforts to lower business costs, and force our biggest employers to buy overpriced services from near monopoly providers. That's a great Knowledge Economy strategy.
Get your legislators on the phone, invite them to lunch, and give them a copy of this article. It's a good first step.