apollo_mojave

For years, I had cable internet and purchased my own modem to use along with my own router, main reason being I don't trust my ISP to handle my personal information with discretion and I'd like to limit my dependence on their hardware as much as possible.

Now I've moved and I have fiber, which is great, except it seems I have to rely entirely on the fiber equivalent of a "modem," which I believe is the "ONT."

My question is: why? Why was / is there a fairly well-developed market for modems where consumers can choose their own hardware, whereas for fiber there is almost no market for ONTs? Is it for a technical reason? Or do ISPs want to be able to get cheaply manufactured ONTs and pass along "rental fees" to consumers?