Phase I: The Proposal

On June 8, 2010 Skycasters submitted a proposal in Washington, D.C., for a $5.1 million in ARRA (American Recovery and Reinvestment Act) funds from the Rural Utilities Service (RUS) committee. Project SafetyNet, as we’re calling it, will bring life-saving and economy-stimulating satellite broadband Internet to public safety organizations in unserved portions of rural America. Believe it or not, these police departments, fire departments, EMS and the like are still using dial-up, amateur radio and other last-century technology to access the Internet and communicate with one another. Not good. Here’s how our proposal will change all that.
(more…)

Early on the morning of June 26, 2010, Honduras lost a son with great potential: Ian Henry Merriam Rubiano, 38 years old.

Known to family, friends and business associates as Ian Merriam, Ian was an entrepreneur in communications who also took great interest in the leadership of his country, following in the footsteps of his father, Henry Merriam, the Honduran architect, and Tegucigalpa mayor from 1976 to 1980, who in 2001 spearheaded real estate reform in Honduras, writing law and winning grassroots support.

(more…)