Neither the public nor private sectors have been able to amass enough capital and clout to bring fiber to large numbers of homes rapidly. Then it becomes imaginable that millions of homes could be wired within a few years. Many lawyers will be put to good use creating enforceable cooperative information easement rights, and court battles might have to be fought against cable interests and the like, but ultimately it is likely that property owners can legally create their own fiber network. For the cost of a Nintendo, they get hassle-free access to everything on the net, as well as serious computer applications. The widespread use of these cheap boxes will motivate content providers to address the needs of fiber-coop members early on.
Local control makes the process incremental.
For instance, fiber can be strung between roofs at first and later dug into the ground. When the fiber is installed, the neighborhood node will probably be connected to the internet by a commercial vendor. At that time, the set-top boxes are upgraded. All the neighborhoods can bid together on goods and services, bringing costs down. The neighborhood node will be improved by a mutual covenant every year.