[eganist]

> It's a more poverty-stricken area than some realize, nearly third world.

This is immensely true of Appalachia in general (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_and_economic_stratifica...). Having done quite a number of roadtrips up and down I-81, the amount of destitution I've seen has never failed to break my heart. Nothing's ever changed for these people, and the foundational building blocks (infrastructure, education, etc) that they'd need in order to really climb out of poverty have been consistently delayed or disregarded.

Luck plays more of a factor here than in many other parts of the United States at escaping this loop, so programs like this are heartwarming to see in that they aim to give back as part of a broader goal to advance the state of tech.

Drone infrastructure and 5G are probably the two easiest shortcuts to get much of Appalachia equipped with much of what they need to catch up.

[BenjiWiebe]

Wouldn't 4G be a far better choice for low/medium density population, in a rural setting, with lots of hills/trees/mountains? If it's like central Kansas (probably far worse), there's areas that don't even have 3G.