The story of two Michigan residents building their own fiber ISP has been bouncing around my head all week. It’s one of those tales that perfectly captures the frustration so many of us feel with the state of internet infrastructure, not just in rural America but right here in Australia too.

What strikes me most about this story isn’t just the technical achievement – though that’s impressive enough – but the sheer determination required to say “enough is enough” and actually do something about it. These folks didn’t just complain about slow speeds or poor service; they rolled up their sleeves and decided to become part of the solution.