Link: http://www.techworld.com/mobility/news/index.cfm?NewsID=4722&inkc=0

...is a transmission technology that can create and disseminate an omnidirectional signal for a significant distance (15-30 miles) at a useful bit rate (at least 5 Mb/second). The existing 802.11x protocols and their associated transmission hardware do not meet this requirement. It is possible to transmit over 30 miles in a straight line with 802.11 protocols, but that requires a unidirectional antenna and receiver.
Now, this article shows that we may approaching the point of off-the-shelf availability of technology that will support the creation of local wireless ISPs and neighborhood wireless nets.
Note the word "may" in the above paragraph. There are still issues associated with making this technology work. The demo to which journalists were invited recently showed successful transmission over 18 miles from a transmission tower in Florida. The tower is 850 feet (!) in height, which is not a condition many local would-be wireless ISP providers are likely to encounter very often. Additionally, the signal was being thrown across a sparsely-populated area of the Everglades i.e. flat land with few buildings.
This is a promising technology improvement, but it may be more than a few months before it is ready for "prime time".