Do you think AT&T and Verizon would take the stimulus money if the U.S. government showed the two biggest carriers proof of why they need to take the money? Unlike the businesses that welcomed the $787 billion stimulus package approved by Congress last month, the two biggest U.S. phone companies have reservations according to this Bloomberg article. They’re urging the government not to help other companies compete with them through broadband grants or to set new conditions on how Internet access should be provided. The $7.2 billion is intended to bring fast Internet service to “unserved” areas that don’t have it and other regions the government deems “underserved,” according to the stimulus measure. The Commerce Department’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration will disburse $4.7 billion and the Agriculture Department $2.5 billion. Both agencies must decide what “underserved” means before awarding any grants.

I think the big carriers are stuck in their traditional "Average Revenue Per User" (ARPU) mode and don't care about the little guy in rural areas who has a low ARPU. Maybe the government money could help the carriers refocus and start thinking about "Average Satisfaction Per User" (ASPU) which would be healthy for the industry. Instead of focusing on average revenue per user (ARPU) why not focus on average satisfaction per user (ASPU)?