Okay, first off I think that you need to understand the difference between WiFi and mobile broadband Internet Access. Mobile broadband Internet access is something that you purchase from your mobile phone provider like Verizon wireless, Sprint wireless, or AT&T wireless, etc. These wireless providers offer wireless support for voice and data. Meaning that you can purchase wireless voice minutes and wireless data blocks. To access these networks from your computer you need to purchase a wireless broadband card or phone tethered specifically for their cellular/G3 networks. These networks can be accessed from anywhere that the provider offers their digital and G3 networks. Most of the time this means metropolitan areas, but I have used mine camping in the woods in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.
There are also short range networks called WiFi networks or 802.11 networks. These are the networks that you can access in hotels, airports, coffee shops, or in your very own home. To access these you need a computer that has an internal or external wifi card. Most new desktop computers and all laptops offer internal wifi cards. They are normally represented as wifi 802.11 or wifi A, B, G, or N or some reference to a combination of these. Wireless N is the fastest and offers the greatest distance from the wifi router, it is also backwards compatible with B and G networks. Stay away from A networks, they will just confuse you and serve little purpose for you. In order to form a wifi network you need a wireless router and at least one computer that can connect to this network. In order to connect your wifi network to the Internet, you need to connect the router to a modem that connects to your Internet connection. There are dial-up modems that you can connect to a wifi router, you just need to find them.
Obviously the best option would be to connect your wifi router to a broadband modem such as DSL, Cable, or FiOS. There is also Satellite and even some Electric companies are offering high speed Internet through their power lines. You need to check out all of your options. And just because it wasn't available 3 months ago, doesn't mean that it isn't available now. You just need to keep on asking your utility companies.
I was surprised to find that my father-in-law has broadband Internet access on his farm. He gets it through his phone company. But just got it this past Christmas. It isn't as fast as my FiOS connection, but then again, his connection is totally faster than anything he could get through dial-up. I hope that this helps you understand some differences.
As for the Netbook try the Lenovo IdeaPad S10...It is a 10.2" WinXP netbook that has a 80 gig hard drive, 512 MB of RAM, a one year limited warranty, and an internal B/G wifi card. It is the perfect little netbook all for under $350 from lenovo.com. Or if you live near a Circuit City store, they are going out of business and I know for a fact that they have these on sale for 15% off. Still not less than $300, but pretty close. And you can always negotiate for a lower price.
I hope that all of this helps.