That's what AT&T should do - downsize to a level where it can afford to upgrade the network to modern standards.
Those spun-off Verizon states will fare better too. They won't get fibre right away, but they'll get better upgrades than AT&T's rurals will.
You know Arkansas would so be on that list.
The spun off states would get screwed even more. Look at who has the fastest speeds in the cable industry across more of their area. Cablevision services how many rural towns?
the rurals are a net drain on finance and left to their own would not ever be upgraded unless it became cheaper to run fiber than to maintain copper. So far that’s at least a decade off.