Location(s)
Two researchers (see below) investigated whether WiFi could be a cost-effective technology to provide broadband access to users in rural and remote regions. They found that it was. To make their assessment realistic, the researchers modeled a real rural area: Gallatin County, Montana. They modeled the entire county, including the major towns, satellite communities, and widely scattered rural population. The study includes a financial analysis of a number of possible models, and while it focuses on the example of Gallatin County, the study is designed to be useful to rural communities more widely.
Learn More:
Crossing the Digital Divide: Cost-Effective Broadband Wireless Access for Rural and Remote Areas. M. Zhang and R. S. Wolff. IEEE Communications Magazine. February 2004: 99-105. www.coe.montana.edu/ee/rwolff/Divide-rev4.pdf
