The problem (for fiber ISPs) is that people can't tell the difference between 50 Mbps and gigabit (and by extension the difference between cable and fiber).
Fiber has one redeeming feature: if you have a 100BaseT-speed LAN setup, you can share an account with your neighbors instead of both paying for cable. Or more generally just being as good as cable can create price competition.
> for experimentation and development of public benefit uses for gigabit technologies
Carrying data? This whole thing seems to be just a fake money throw-away to grab a headline.
Mozilla are really grasping at straws to stay relevant. That's what you get when you leave a 6 year gap of vaporware and non-innovation, and just sit back on 300 million dollars from Google and do nothing with it, then cry foul when Google launch their own browser after those six years.
"No one was sure, on Thursday, just what those practical applications would be."
This is all positive on the surface but somewhat shallow on the inside. First world problem?