America is usually the last to get the newest technology. While we are lucky to get 3mb on DSL for 50 bucks a month, other countries are getting 100mb for less than half that. Even or cell phone technology is years behind the rest of the world. What we are just getting now was standard , even in 3rd world countries 10 years ago. We talk a lot, but we do little. And like with Pharmaceuticals meds, the US is the raping grounds for corporations. If it would cost you $1 anywhere else in the world, it will cost you $10 in America. Yup, we are good at bragging, short on producing.

WIFI does not have to be government sponsored & provided, only government regulated. Private enterprises would use it for delivering internet inexpensively if it was economically feasible. The reason it doesn't work is the FCC allotted frequency and power limits that allow only really short hops. They COULD have set it up differently.

You can bet the AT&T's and other big communication companies saw to it that this coverage was not expanded enough for it to be useful. The $$ is in sending the masses those monthly bills (which are way higher than they ought to be) This was a huge give- away to big telecom.

Remember all those dial up internet providers that really lowered the price of internet through competition? Now how many choices do you have for broadband? Probably only 2... your local phone company (or a re-seller of their service) or your local cable company. Gosh... I thought our current gov'mt believed in the free market.......

Keep your eye on WIMAX and broadband delivery through your power lines.

I am glad to see it fail, but not surprised.

It is not the governments job to provide the Internet to citizens.

And the EU moves way ahead of a backward thinking american corporate greed government . . .

Big money in an 802g repeater system, I guess...

What do you expect from a government that supports coporations and not its' citizens?????

great example of this is St. Louis Missouri. They accepted a deal to give ATT full access and rights to basically do and build towers and put lines anywhere they wish, in exchange for 20 minutes of free WIFI per month. 20 minutes for millions of dollars worth of property encroachment and untethered by any rules or regulations, and of course the famous tax breaks Missouri gives all huge corporations, even though they are written to encourage new start ups and small biz growth. ATT, Wal Mart, Monsanto, use up the tax breaks, and there is none left for the small biz. And this is all a great example of what a Republican state is.

Since the rich have won the battle of "class warfare" it is only fitting that they should have WIFI and the rest of the losers do without. I mean, what is America about except taking care of the few, the rich and the powerful through wage slavery.

When OUR country's bogged down in an illegal occupation costing US $12 BILLION a month, waddya expect?