If AT&T used modern FTTP equipment instead of legacy FTTN equipment, there wouldn't be so many ugly, expensive, unreliable and vandalism-prone cabinets.
Don't get fooled by the phone company, FTTP is the least cost solution in the long term in EVERY situation.
Also this is only a problem in a few big cites; if you go to any normal community in any of the flyover states, Democrat or Republican, they want good broadband so bad they will bend over backwards to get it.
FTTN is both fine on its own right, and a good incremental step toward FTTP. Its the basis for BT's broadband strategy in the U.K., which everyone holds up as great model.
As for this not being a problem flyover country, you're right. But flyover country also doesn't have the density for good bang for buck infrastructure development. The reason why places like Poland and Romania stand out is they combine the density of major American cities with the desparation to stand out. Warsaw wants to be the next San Francisco. San Francisco doesn't.
Don't get fooled by the phone company, FTTP is the least cost solution in the long term in EVERY situation.
Also this is only a problem in a few big cites; if you go to any normal community in any of the flyover states, Democrat or Republican, they want good broadband so bad they will bend over backwards to get it.