Enlarge (credit: Aurich Lawson | Getty Images) Cities and towns that build their own broadband networks often say they only considered the do-it-yourself option because private Internet service providers didn't meet their communities' needs. When a cable or phone company's Internet service is too slow, too expensive, not deployed widely enough, or all of the above, local government officials sometimes decide to take matters into their own hands. Hundreds of municipal broadband networks have been built around the US as a result, including dozens that have started operating since 2021.