Kankakee, Illinois -- Nothing To Do With the Bakken

Story in WSJ: Sprint's New 4G? Trek to Kankakee

Over the next few weeks, Sprint Nextel Corp. plans to introduce two smartphones with the tantalizing promise of super-fast speeds on the carrier's 4G LTE network. One problem: These phones are most likely to reach the promised top speeds in just one town: Kankakee, Illinois.

For now, the Illinois town about 60 miles south of Chicago, with a population of 27,537, is the only spot Sprint will name where the service is up and running.

It's not clear why Sprint chose this town, whose average poverty rate between 2006 and 2010 was 31.2%, compared with 13.8% nationwide, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

I can already see the ads.

City of New Orleans, Arlo Guthrie
Riding on the City of New Orleans,
Illinois Central Monday morning rail.
Fifteen cars and fifteen restless riders,
Three conductors and twenty-five sacks of mail.

All along the southbound odyssey
The train pulls out at Kankakee
Rolls along past houses, farms, and 4G towers....