This smug, platitudinous self-serving drivel is all that a network executive needs to know to misspend millions of dollars. You conveniently neglect to mention remote network management facilities that will handle configuration and monitoring of the routers that could have been purchased instead of a fully loaded 3945, including the $487 CISCO router that was mentioned in the article. How do you justify this preposterous expense? "What if the state decides on an unprecedented expansion of library facilities?" In this economic climate? "What if homeland security needs emergency facilities and this is the only site available?" You didn't read the article where two identical enterprise level routers were installed in the same little neighborhood. What about the efforts to engage ham radio operators--West Virginia is full of them. So much for the big picture. You live in a world where automating the administrative aspects of networking hasn't kept up with the network devices themselves. At least that's what you tell your superiors. It's as if remote network management facilities don't exist and you're still upgrading IOS on routers state-wide by hand with TFTP. Don't tell me: you support one-size-fits all cable management for the state too.