So, a cable television franchise has special protections enumerated in state and federal law.

They use this as a guise to provide internet, while only being responsible for the tv portion.

Additionally, the FCC has specific rules which exempt cable modems from regulation at the municipal level, which is why you see fiber convert back to DOCSIS to attach a cable model at the end.

Oh they do. The most common one is fees for renting a cable modem (which you can avoid by buying, but almost no consumers do). The article cites an "internet cost recovery fee" as well. Remember, in the US, your TV and internet providers are typically one and the same.