30 mile WiMax

Wi-SKY Networks and Proxim Wireless Achieve WiMAX Connections With Vessels at Sea and in Air (http://www.bbwexchange.com/publications/page1423-154340.asp)

According to this article, they've been able to achieve continuous operation over distances up to 30 miles and altitudes up to 10,000 feet and speeds up to 145 MPH. Pretty darn impressive...

Rural Broadband

Article in the AJC today discussed the options for rural broadband (http://www.ajc.com/search/content/business/stories/0618rural.html) discussed how the demand for broadband has picked up in rural areas but supply has not been there to support the demand. DSL won't get there, cable is slow to build out, satellite is not the best option...

But wireless networks, which don't get a lot of coverage in the article are finding new ways to reach the rural areas. They do mention hot spots as means of gaining access, but that's just one means.

A couple of items they mention that I wanted to track include:

- US Dept. of Agriculture - Rural Utilities Service
- Georgia Tech - TechSmart
- GA Broadband Rural Initiative to Develop Georgia's Economy fund (BRIDGE) - $5M fund
- Roswell based Camvera Networks
- WildBlue Communications from Denver (satellite)

UPDATE: It turns out that Carl Peede, the President and CEO of Camvera Networks was once the COO for HomeCom Communications. Interesting historical note, I worked for Harvey Sax (CEO of HomeCom) when he initially started the company, helping establish the first set of customers and the initial network. If I recall, that was December of 1994...