Financial aid experts say the startups have yet to tap a key market: international students in the U.S., who can't access the federal student-loan market and are often locked out of private options.

WSJ: B-School Alums Are Tapped for Loans

Do you know that there are a lot of kids who live in communities that don't have access to a grocery store or a farmers market or a place to buy fruits and vegetables?

WHITEHOUSE: Let's Move Rally in Jackson, Mississippi

The FCC is even asking if radio should still be considered a discrete market, in which ownership restrictions are evaluated as if consumers didn't have access to the Internet, digital cable and satellite, wireless Palm handhelds and the myriad other noisy forms of media that intrude on their daily existence.

FORBES: Free the Airwaves

Yes, Android might be "open" in the sense that the source code is available, but there's no doubt Google's wielded incredible power over the platform by restricting access to Market and its own apps -- power that hasn't been used to prevent carrier-mandated bloatware or poorly-done manufacturer skinning, but has instead apparently been used to block legitimate competitors like Skyhook from doing business.

ENGADGET: Skyhook: Google forced Motorola to drop our location service, delay the Droid X

You can't access most of them, but an easy proxy is Business Week's annual market forecast page in each year's final issue.

FORBES: Break Their Crystal Balls

T-Online provides internet access to 11.85 million people, mainly in the German market.

BBC: T-Online shines as Tiscali stumbles

Bangladesh garment exporters say the other advantage they enjoy is that more than 90% per cent of their products, such as T-shirts, jeans, sweaters and casual trousers enjoy duty free access to the Chinese market.

BBC: Chinese factories turn to Bangladesh as labour costs rise

That's a big reason why in Hong Kong, where cross-town calls are not metered, free net access hasn't even been attempted even though there are scores of service providers battling for market share.

CNN: Giving It All Away