Coal industry digs itself into a hole •  Microsoft game-maker quits after dissing small cities  •  Michigan Indian sues for right to raise breed of hog.

In trying to avoid fees that support rural phone service, communication companies have unintentionally created big headaches for rural residents getting calls from cities. Can the FCC help fix the problem, or will the U.S. phone system hang up on rural America?

Internet speed, not just access, is critical if rural areas are to benefit from IT potential in education, business, and health. A new study looks to the tech future of ag, rural medicine, and more.

Workable rural technology requires not just broader access but reliable support for the small companies that brought IT to sparsely populated areas in the first place and have maintained it.