Rural telephone companies : Diverse outlooks and shared concerns
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Abstract
In rural America the basic telecommunications infrastructure is already in place. The issue is not of building from scratch but of upgrading it. This can be done only through the active participation of more than 1200 small telcos that serve rural America. A better understanding of these companies is clouded by the fact that they have historically been lumped together in the category 'independents'. This article attempts to go beyond the anonymity created by this simple categorization. By taking a closer look at this group it tries to capture the individual characteristics of its membership.