While Zone 1 of FIDONet has largely been replaced by the internet, other zones 
are alive and well: www.fidonet.org.

I think Leo simplified the satelite download system a bit, but some of the 
commercial nodes did have a satelite service  for a little while.  The heart 
of the system was, of course, non-commercial nodes run by private hobbyists, 
transferring the mail between major hubs at their own expense for the sake of 
the hobby.

There are FIDONet links over Amateur radio, CB, "pirate" microwave, just about 
any communications medium you can pass a signal through.  802.11 is a lot 
simpler to configure than the "alternative" links.