The word from Louisiana is that the voters approved the fiber to the home project by a 62 to 38 percent vote: Lafayette wants to bring fiber to every home and offer advanced broadband, cable, and other services. They beat a few attempts to drive them back. Now they'll sell the bonds, raise the money, and build. Execution is everything.
The Louisiana legislature just passed a bill requiring cities to hold a referendum if they wish to provide broadband service. A referendum is not unreasonable for a $125 million fiber project, but is insane for a $30K small-town wireless project. Also, the law doesn't distinguish between direct municipal investment and a public-private partnership, where a private company puts up most of the capital. It's easy to imagine cases where the city's cost of the election exceeds its cost for the project.