Community Internet Access in Rural Areas: Solving the Economic Sustainability Puzzle

Colin M. Maclay Center for International Development at Harvard University Introduction T elecommunications companies, entrepreneurs, and policymakers have regarded rural and poor markets with some combination of too-complex-to-serve and not-interestingenough (politically or economically) to be worthy of sustained attention. But times—and technologies— have changed, leaving what have been perceived as backwaters poised to become significant growth areas in the next decades.