It is also one big reason why I really want municipal fiber. There are a lot more "houses or smaller and/or older apartment buildings" than there are new condo or high-end apartment buildings. It would be nice to have some competition in those dwellings alongside the cable company, usually with caps, and (maybe) the telephone company, usually DSL with very slow speeds.
This was often paid for / subsidized by the Universal Service Fund, because telephone service was seen as something absolutely necessary for modern life. Back in 1934.
ISPs, unfortunately, are not able to be subsidized by the Universal Service Fund. AFAIK.
That said, the USF is a big step up from the "forced build-out" into unprofitable areas, which is what used to happen with telephone, and still happens with broadband. It highly distorts the market. E.g. if build-out requirements were imposed on Webpass, it'd basically ban their business model.
The right-of-way fee covers costs for use of poles and conduits but also municipal right of way usage fees. The municipal right of way fees are much less than it would cost Verizon to otherwise negotiate and purchase right of ways from private property owners.