ULA sat around and produced studies for years arguing that reusable rockets were either impossible or wouldn't actually save any money. The latter claim is absurd at first glance, but they argued and pushed it even past the time when Falcon cores were being reused.
Space launch and ISPs are both industries that are accustomed to fat cost-plus contracts, subsidies with no accountability, and market protection from government. They've lived that way for decades, resulting in companies that I'm sure are optimized top to bottom for suckling at the government teat.