This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project investigates the feasibility of low-cost video linking of rural schools and school districts by means of conversion (now imaginable because of recent advances in technology) of the former military technology of troposcatter radio for digital video transmission over long distances in interactive classroom instruction. This approach to communications beyond line-of- sight distances will compete with two-way cable systems and high- speed telephone in the coming years, and the proposed research will assess its value relative to solutions being explored by larger industries. The proposal addresses an important problem of US education: The future quality of rural education depends on high quality, low cost communications. Moreover, it represents a peacetime application for education of a derivative of advanced technology developed for the military.
