You’re not wrong there. This model doesn’t scale, but there are solutions to this that can help us rebuild. I participate in monthly exercises where we use a repeater system to relay messages in emergencies somewhat like how the telegraph system worked. In this way, we can re-use the limited bandwidth geographically. HF works at the current load but for higher bandwidth needs we can move to regional or even local repeater systems at higher frequencies and find that much more usable bandwidth becomes available.

In a total collapse situation we could start with HF, and slowly form new communities that can scale in much the same way that people scale to form social groups.