You know, this is probably the most insightful comment I have ever seen on this topic, and I wish I could give you 100 karma for it alone.

I'm even in favor of municipal broadband, because I'm sick of having the same speed of DSL that I had seven years ago, but I had never considered the absurdity of the idea (that companies can constrain a city's actions) itself. An altogether startling wakeup call.