I don’t think we should subsidize internet, but your framing here rubs me the wrong way. People in these rural areas usually live among family and have lived there for generations, reducing this to a choice feels very elitist. People aren’t “choosing” to not pack up their entire lives and move to a city or town.
We shouldn't subsidize internet, it should be provided. The internet is necessary to participate in modern society, and to only provide it to people who can afford it is what's actually elitist.
Last we checked we pay for water too. It’s abundant. It still makes sense to have a price on it because it’s a resource like anything else.
In the same way, we pay for the internet. Free wifi exists if you can’t afford service.
Rather than elitist, it’s just… not communist.