Europe To Test Satellites for Rural Broadband Access

摘要

Pressured by local communities concerned that their industrial base will evaporate without broadband communications, the European Commission is considering how to provide satellite access to rural areas throughout Europe that are beyond the reach of terrestrial links. The program remains in the pilot-project phase, with most efforts at bringing highspeed Internet access in Europe remaining at the national and local government level. Commission officials said they have had difficulty determining how to bring together the disparate demands of communities in different nations, and matching that demand with the purchase of satellite capacity or financial help for the purchase of satellite-access terminals.