A few months ago I saw an article in the paper about a local company called Mobi. They offer wireless service, and the article went on about how they had gone from a start-up company to big profits in a really short time--less than 2 years. Mobi spokesmen pointed to their service plan and called it "superior" and the reason for their success.
Here's the real reason: Their is a tax on every mainland phone--it amounts to about two dollars per phone--earmarked for providing service to remote areas. When the tax was written, they were thinking about land lines, as cell phones weren't around. Mobi provides coverage in the Hawaiian homelands area, where about 3500 people live. Mobi's take is about 35 million a year from this subsidy.
Another company that only serves remote islands takes about 85 million a year. They have 40 employees. I wonder who owns this company?
I think the business plan these people use is modeled after our Hawaiian government.