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We own a piece of farmland on a small lake in middle Michigan that is about as rural as it gets. Last summer a company ran fiber along the road in front of our property. Knowing how much it costs to install and maintain fiber, I cannot believe there is enough population density to ever make a return on this investment.

However, if the installation was subsidized by federal grant money, then it was just busy work to make $$.

It is amazing to me how a government entity is so willing to waste money. But then again maybe its not a waste to them if it is going to a favorite donor.

If you were to read the restructuring policy notice (which is now buried on the NTIA website and maybe a bit of internal pushback?) you will find the high cost per house that was as high as 100K. When the service can be provided by satellite for a fraction of the cost.

The blue states and maybe others will push back by denying satellite service just because they have an agenda to support their colleagues and social networks (alias deep state) that are pushing fiber funding.

If appropriate technological balance is not achieved the lawsuits will come out projects will be delayed and the lawyers will get their share of the money.

"We own a piece of farmland on a small lake in middle Michigan that is about as rural as it gets. Last summer a company ran fiber along the road in front of our property. Knowing how much it costs to install and maintain fiber, I cannot believe there is enough population density to ever make a return on this investment. However, if the installation was subsidized by federal grant money, then it was just busy work to make $$."

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Yep, Obama's $2 Billion "Shovel-Ready" plan had $$$ to run fiber past my Mom's very rural place in the foothills of California...but the fiber can only be used by the county schools office and one other govt. agency. Now her county road is suffering from the patch job they did to cover up the fiber install (middle of the lane in the road) and she is still stuck with the Internet/ISP's I could get her...dial-up modem (she is too far from the CO for DSL) then Wild Blue satellite, then an AT&T "hotspot" and now I have her on T-Mobile Home...all while her house is 80 yards from a fiber install. Meanwhile billions more have been allocated for "rural Internet" and nothing gets done!