Sometimes, the truth can be a letdown. Everyone was hoping it was LLMs all the way down. ;)

I am very fortunate to have two competing ISPs in my area. Verizon Fios, and Optimum Fibre. I have played them against each other. I have had both, over the years. I am currently using Optimum.

Still not especially cheap, but the service is good. The customer service ... not so good (think South Park).