Co-ops as Build-Out Template

The REA funded farmer-owned cooperatives that wired rural America in two decades, despite private utilities balking and legal hurdles. This federated model aligned incentives—federal finance with local ownership—to overcome opposition and deliver rapid infrastructure. It suggests co-ops could again accelerate broadband, grid upgrades, and EV charging. — It offers a practical governance design for today’s stalled infrastructure by harnessing beneficiaries as partners rather than treating them as obstacles.