I paid $30 a month for unlimited 10 Mbps in the late 90's which was cheaper than I pay today for the same speed but my service today is much less reliable and my speed varies radically and is usually much slower than I pay for. What technology have you ever witness get less reliable, slower and more expensive over time? The government has given these companies hundreds of millions in tax breaks to invest in infrastructure they have not implemented. The government has also spent millions developing the Internet Backbone these companies use as part of their business. I understand your point but ISPs business model has been not a pure private industry since it's inception so if they abuse their position by over charging to an extreme after all of their subsidies than local governments should have every right to come in and undercut them.