Internet, cellphone, electricity, trash, healthcare, insurance... if the vast majority needs the same thing, the local, state, or federal government should provide it. We need to put an end to all the rent seeking behavior, it's parasitic and slowly destroying our economy.
> if the vast majority needs the same thing
It's more that if you privatize certain necessary infrastructure, the owners either end up as monopolies and/or require heavy regulation, which means the customer can't just buy from someone else and/or new companies can't unseat dysfunctional incumbents.
Also, the utility doesn’t have to provide everything. MVNO, which are cellular providers on top of other provider, could work with mobile provider utility. Internet is the other ones where in some countries multiple providers sit on top of phone company.
(Not to be confused with a publicly-traded company)
The US has whole categories of 503c non-profit organizations, with 503c3 tax-exempt charities the most well known. I can't tell if there category for non-profit utilities. I think there should be room for companies between government-owned and for-profit, companies that do a service without making money.
Like how you can hire private bodyguards, and not leave your safety to the police.
Or course your trash stopping being "picked up reliably" and the presence of alternative private services are often not independent events (either the government/local government decides to not put in the effort and leave it to the public to pay for third party services, or they're actively encouraged to do so with under the table bribes).