$120 per month is well within the range of most monthly internet plans. The article doesn't say how much monthly service for this county-driven initiative will cost. Yes, there's an upfront cost (though cable providers typically have a hookup too) but it's not huge in comparison to monthly fees.

I'd consider paying that much for 10gpbs, but nothing less.

That's nice for you.

We got starlink for our rural property. We were previously paying over $200 a month for vastly inferior service (long range Wi-Fi), much slower and dropped out all the time.

If you can get a wired connection, get it. Starlink is for people who can't, and it's far and away the best option for those people.

If you have better/cheaper options, by all means take them. Many people do not so it's pay that or do without.

Some people, but I very much doubt most.

I wrote "many." And, yes, many people do not have good wired Internet access and paying a relatively small premium to get the equivalent of wired broadband access at all is worth it for a great many of those people. No one is asking you to pay if you have better options.