Electrification of rural areas is well documented and was as painful to complete as broadband. Robert Caro writes on the topic in his biography of Lyndon Johnson. Note the extensive political wrangling and haggling that came down to individual land parcels
The thing I find interesting about the connection of rural homes was how much it set back the alternative energy field. Windmills had just started replacing gas generators (with the generators as backups) when rural electrification happened. 90 years later, and that same question has become relevant in a lot of developing areas.
