Americans pay some of the highest prices for broadband in the developed world, thanks to a lack of competition and ISP-loyal lawmakers. But a new study highlights how US efforts to throw taxpayer money at the issue isn’t striking at the heart of the problem.

While the United States likes to fancy itself a technological powerhouse, American broadband has long been derided for being decidedly mediocre. Customer service is often nonexistent and speeds and availability historically fall somewhere in the middle of the pack.

And as we’ve previously noted, roughly 28 million Americans, or roughly 8 percent of the country, lack access to any broadband whatsoever.

It’s a problem that only tends to see glacial improvement thanks to cash-compromised lawmakers and a lack of real competition in countless markets. And it’s a problem that’s only getting worse as telcos like AT&T and Verizon refuse to upgrade aging DSL networks, resulting in cable giants like Charter and Comcast enjoying greater monopolies than ever before.

This regulatory apathy and limited competition, in turn, only perpetuate the high prices, slow speeds, and net neutrality and privacy issues that crop up when there’s nothing in place to keep natural broadband monopolies in line. Consumers can’t punish bad behavior by switching ISPs, so said bad behavior only continues in perpetuity.

Historically, America has enjoyed throwing money—in the form of federal and state subsidies—at ISPs in the belief this broken market would somehow magically repair itself. But from coast to coast, corruption and apathy routinely shoot these good intentions squarely in the foot.