• Before it could do wireless, LARIAT needed a backbone connection

 
• Originally placed a radio at the University of Wyoming, which (until P2P became popular) had excess bandwidth. Now sharing with a regional ISP in exchange for hosting analog modems

 
• ISP and LARIAT depend upon Qwest for "backhaul" connections

 
• We and our upstream ISP routinely experience "accidental" disconnects and interruptions of service. We also have difficulty renting infrastructure, e.g. copper pairs to connect radio sites and hotspots to our hub, at non-prohibitive prices. (Products such as LADS are being discontinued specifically to prevent this.)

Lesson #1: Using wireless as the "first mile" does not eliminate the need for access to copper and fiber. These facilities should, if possible, be managed by a structurally separate entity with no motivation to engage in anticompetitive practices. The recent FCC rulemaking could disable wireless as well as wired broadband competition.