Role of property rights? That's hilarious. Wasn't most of that infrastructure built benefit of monopoly deals? What free market?
Hence the caveat, "so long as we permit a free market." The point is that, in the long run, a truly free market delivers better products and services at better prices than a market with government interference.
'If you don't like it, don't buy it' is far superior to 'if you don't like or aren't even going to use it, you still have to pay for it.'
I always found it funny that AT&T built the infrastructure and after their break-up they were forced to allow others to use what they did not have to lay, the cable so to speak.