Small/Medium sized carriers VS …

I’m doing a research report and was wondering if anyone could help answer some questions (thanks in advance):

1) Small/Mid-sized carriers that are facilities essentially has the same technologies that the larger players have (fiber, data, digital voice, VOIP). Question is, can they effectively compete in the long run (in 3 to 5 years)?

2) I’ve read articles that suggest the larger players (Qwest, Comcast) focus on metros and do not pay too much attention to tier 2 cities, is this true?

3) If you are a small/medium sized business (SMB), do you prefer working with the small/medium sized telco’s to provide your voice and data or the big guys?

Or

3a) If you are apart of a telco, what are the strenghts/weaknesses for a small/medium sized telco vs a juggernaut like Qwest and Comcast?