cott
Lindsey, head of the Rural Broadband Coalition in Washington,
complains that the U.S. is falling behind other countries in terms
of getting broadband to rural communities. (The nation ranks 12th in
total broadband penetration.)
indsey noted fixed wireless has taken the
forefront, with satellite service being a good alternative in some
areas. There are about two thousand fixed-wireless providers in the
U.S., most of them mom-and-pop operations with a few hundred users.
These companies often barter for antenna space
on hilltop houses, and charge others between $50 and $75 a month for
several megabits per second of wireless connectivity, which usually
has a range of six to eight miles. (A subscriber is given a radio
and mounts a fixed antenna with a line of sight to the transmission
antenna.)