On Wed, Jul 23, 2014 at 09:55:39AM -0500, Steven Saner wrote: [...]
Now, it is tempting to suggest that the electric cooperative should take on the project.
I've seen that exact scenario happen in rural New Mexico. The Co-op members wanted dial-up access, and couldn't get it. They asked the co-op board to build an ISP, and they did. They weren't great at the job, but no one else was putting in access ports within the local calling area. A few years later, we bought their customer base. The co-op was happy to sell to someone that "did Internet for a living." We gave them enough money to make the board and members happy with their investment. So, yeah. I'd say it's more than tempting to suggest that an electric co-op could take on broadband projects.