Is Wireless Really the Answer for Rural Broadband?

A Q&A with Craig Settles.

Asked about the Obama Administration's attention to rural broadband, Settles says, "They are taking it pretty seriously. You have what’s rumored to be about $8 billion as part of the Universal Service Fund and they are trying to shift a large part to broadband on an annual basis. We are talking about per year. That’s a huge amount of money when you look at it in that context. You have to ask what, 'What are we going to get for this?' That segueways into the President establishing a national discussion on broadband and saying here is what is going on. You may as well tie them together. The Universal Service Fund is looked on as how we bridge that gap between the haves and have-nots. It is a good focal point. There are two things that are being tied together because they are related. Trying to reform the one fund to get more people connected. The president is articulating economic development driven by a broadband vision. So you have to figure how to get there."