In reality, broadband's very existence helps create newer and better local communities. The Internet is the mass medium of specialized communities of interest - chat rooms, discussion forums, instant messaging, virtual worlds and so forth. These communities have flourished in the dial-up world and will only be more fun, interesting and powerful in a broadband world. These communities offer a new form of shared experience, built on shared preferences instead of shared broadcasts. The broadband Internet actually offers new forms of community that are very hard to replicate in other mediums.
Broadband access offers an inherent localization effect.
The nature of broadband technology requires limited distance to operate properly - typical broadband service areas are the size of school districts. This makes it easier to build smaller, geographically regionalized communities of interest, that provide broadband subscribers with services they can't easily get any other way. Broadband Internet Service Providers have everything to gain from this - building loyal communities within their infrastructure creates a protected market niche and a powerful means to reduce churn. The full-scale benefits to individuals from local communities offer nearly unlimited upside. Local money can be spent more wisely in this environment, because of easy access to knowledge about others' experiences.