Russ, I have been in the same boat as you for many years. I've been down every road imaginable, trying to get some decent service. I tried the satellite option. I hated it. If it even LOOKED like rain, there would be no signal. This was NOT due to poor aiming of the dish, either. Even when I did get online, there was a cap on the amount of data you could receive within a period of time. Ping times were absolutely horrendous. Needless to say, satellite did not last very long at all. Next was ISDN. It is a digital line, rather than analog. Speeds were 12k. Pings were sub 100. cost was 40-50 a month if I remember correctly. Very doubtful that cost is still the same. Probably more like 80-90 month now. I currently have had wireless internet for about 2 years, and can't really complain. It's been a real life saver. Recently, we have upgraded to 4G with Verizon, and now surfing the web is a real breeze. As of this minute, pings are 75, download is 10Mbps, and upload is 12.5Mbps. I certainly cannot complain about that! No, it's not cable or fiber, or even DSL, but it sure is a helluva lot better than dial up or ISDN!! Before the 4G, (3G) pings were around 150-250, downloads around 2Mbps. I should note that I can see the towers from my window. Speeds will also vary according to "tower crowding" and signal strength. There are plans on the web for a simple DIY signal booster, called a "cantenna", which I did not have any luck with, or you can purchase a directional, or omni-directional antenna for your USB modem if need be. You have to purchase the correct antenna that works with the frequency of the service. Sprint uses a different frequency than Verizon, for instance. The only services that I know of are Sprint, and Verizon. US Cellular would not be an option, I think. Sprint data is capped at 80 GIG/month, and most likely only 3G in your area, and Verizon is capped at 20 GIG/month, 3G/4G. Cost is around 60-70/month. NOT CHEAP when compared to other /better services, but when that's your only option, you can take it or leave it. 20 GIG may seem like an unobtainable amount of data, but the reality is...when you have access to it, more than likely you will use every bit of it. The final word of advise is.....don't get service thru the phone companies, but rather a reseller. Millinicom charges a flat fee. No taxes. No access fees. No "this" fee. No "that" fee. No fee for 911 access or any bogus crap the cell companies would tack on. NO CONTRACT!!! You do have to purchase a USB modem, and pay some upfront fees, but after that, everything is good. If you get the Sprint plan, I think you can even get a modem off Ebay (or wherever) and save a few bucks.
http://www.millenicom.com/Tech support is very good too, should you need it.