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I think ISPs mostly upgrade infrastructure when customer willingness to pay goes down, such as when Google Fiber or a similarly superior alternative comes to town. I'm having trouble thinking of instances when incumbent ISPs offered a substantial improvement to service or prices in response to positive incentives. Their main business model is sitting on the status quo for as long as money continues to flow in.

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It's the same thing through a different lens. Customers willing to pay more for better service could be less willing to pay for standard service.

When Google Fiber comes to town, it usually results in paying less for better service.

The article agrees with you and it seems to be glossed over entirely in the comments.

> We’ve also noted that when those big ISPs do finally deploy service, they tend to prioritize white, affluent neighborhoods — which generally see faster, cheaper, service than more diverse, poorer neighborhoods.

Any argument that talks of following incentives needs to account for the fact that people with more money pay less.

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