A Spatial Decision Support System for Planning

Organizations and individuals are calling for the universal availability of broadband as a national imperative by 2010. Although the United States has the requisite cross-continental fiber-optic backbone infrastructure in place, only 2% to 5% of that nationwide network is used today. This is because of the prohibitive cost necessary to extend the backbone to many small businesses and homes, even for a relatively short distance. For example, nine out of ten American small businesses are less than one mile from the backbone, but still do not have service – the “last mile” problem. This research integrates a mathematical programming model and a specially developed geographic information system to examine the potential of “going the last mile” using current wireless telecommunication costs in a rural county in the Mid-Atlantic United States. The appropriateness of current wireless technologies in both for-profit and government subsidized scenarios is discovered. Implications for the national scene are discussed.