https://motherboard.vice.com/en_us/article/kzkd8m/facebook-quietly-ended-its-rural-internet-laser-drone-program

One of Facebook’s ambitious plans to bring broadband internet to remote and rural communities around the globe quietly folded Tuesday, according to a blog post from Facebook’s engineering team.

The program focused on designing and constructing the Aquila, a giant drone that could beam down internet connection via laser beams from 60,000 feet. Able to remain in the stratosphere autonomously for three months at a time, the Aquila was part of Facebook’s vision for bringing internet to unserved areas. But three years after the company debuted its fully-constructed aircraft, it has shuttered the project.