Re: What's Wrong With LinuxMint ?

On Wed, 19 Aug 2026 13:23:06 -0000 (UTC), Rich wrote:


> Those same rural areas have electricity and POTS phone service (where it
> has not been retired) only because back in the 30's through 50's there
> were major government programs spending tax dollars to "wire up the USA"
> and so the capital cost of installing 12.9km of "wire" just to connect
> one home was borne by the govt., not the "ISP" (phone company or
> electric company back then).  When the service providers received the
> transport medium effectively free of capital expenditure they could then
> profit from their usual monthly fees, and were happy to oblige at that
> point.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rural_Electrification_Act

I'm still in an electric co-op. It's never much, maybe $50 a year, but 
it's nice to get money back as a member. It was very nice when the company 
serving the city was privatized and rates jumped. There phone system is 
copper. No DSL or that other fancy stuff.