>> Hi all,
>>
>> I am in a rural IL (central between springfield and decatur) outside
>> the range of standard broadband service (dsl, cable, etc). The two
>> alternative internet service technologies that I am familiar with are
>> satellite and cell phone. I would appreciate any comparison on the
>> two technologies (speed, coverage, cost), and any suggestions on
>> service providers. Thanks for any help on this,

While not the fastest, I was in a rural area in northern idaho, where
verizon only had the 1x data system (about 100Kbps, other carriers didn't
work there at ALL, not considered broadband, but faster than dial-up).. Used
an always on data card with a Kyocera KR1 router to allow multiple computers
to access the single data link (both wirelessly and wired, also a pda)...

Does any specific carrier have cellphone service in your area? If so,
consider a cellular data card and a kyo router
(http://www.kyocera-wireless.com/kr1-router/) PS if you happen to be in an
evdo area, then you can use the higher speed evdo instead of the 1xrtt....
(most cell data cards do both, and go right in the kyo router)...