New submitter bumblebaetuna writes: In many cases, it’s not financially viable for big internet service providers like Comcast and CharterSpectrum to expand into rural communities: They’re not densely populated, and running fiber optic cable into rocky Appalachian soil isn’t cheap. Even with federal grants designed to make these expansions more affordable, there are hundreds of communities across the US that are essentially internet deserts — so many are building it themselves. But in true heartland, bootstrap fashion, these towns, hollows — small rural communities located in the valleys between Appalachia hills — and stretches of farmland have banded together to bring internet to their doors. They cobble together innovative and creative solutions to get around the financial, technological, and topological barriers to widespread internet.
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Rural America Is Building Its Own Internet Because No One Else Will