Want 50Mbps Internet in your town? Threaten to roll out your own

Regional telco TDS Telecommunications last week issued a press release announcing a major milestone for the company: 50Mbps service over fiber optic cable to residents of Monticello, Minnesota. The Minneapolis suburb became one of the few non-FiOS communities in the country to experience full fiber-to-the-home deployment, and subscribers will all receive a free upgrade from 25Mbps service to the new 50Mbps tier. Even better is the price, which starts at $49.95 a month for 50Mbps fiber service without the need to buy other services. But the entire congratulatory press release glosses over a key fact: the reason that Monticello received a fiber network was the town's decision to install a municipal-owned fiber network to every home in town... spawning a set of TDS lawsuits that went all the way to the Minnesota Supreme Court, which ruled in favor of the town.