Wal-Mart to Sell Broadband Access

Wal-Mart's presence in rural American life continues to grow. Today, the company announced it will begin selling HughesNet Broadband service at 2,800 stores across the nation, with a notable presence in rural areas where terrestrial broadband services are still largely unavailable.

HughesNet is a satellite-based Internet service, formerly known as DirecWAY, which relies on "a clear view of the southern sky" to deliver broadband speeds.

Bringing broadband access to the most rugged American soil has been a quest for many groups of late. Since 2004, the federal Agriculture Department has given grants and loans totaling over a billion dollars to providers targeting rural markets.

Yet the President's lofty goal of providing every American with access to broadband by 2007 still has a long way to go.

"This relationship is a powerful way to make broadband a reality for the millions of Americans and small business owners who cannot get high-speed Internet access from cable or DSL providers. Through Wal-Mart, we are able to offer more Americans the opportunity to experience the convenience and benefits of high-speed Internet in business and every day life." says Mike Cook, Senior Vice President of the North American Division of Hughes.

Instead of bringing America closer to the reality of total broadband coverage, however, Wal-Mart may now just be encroaching on the land-based telecom businesses that the government has been attempting to aid.