The New America Foundation, Media Access Project, and some vendors say that the FCC hasn't gone far enough by adding more spectrum to the unlicensed band around 5 GHz: They complain that because the spectrum is high on the band and because of the power constraints set by the FCC, rural WISPs still can't adequately serve customers. They are asking for more unlicensed spectrum in the lower bands where signals can better penetrate interference like trees and travel farther.
Rural operators and vendors who try to serve them have long discussed the fact that while the existing power limitations may be useful in cities they unduly strap the potential of wireless in rural communities. Dave Hughes, who has done tons of research on the use of wireless in remote areas, has often suggested that the FCC might set different rules in rural areas. That's a good idea. But I fear that the needs of the rural communities may not mean enough to the FCC to encourage the commission to consider accommodating them.