good point on this .

Are there bands where licenses are reasonable? i would be interested to rekindle this sort of network with some friends.

I think for a reasonable processing fee you can get a license for a point to point link - but there are probably a bunch of requirements.

The more public resources you want to take for private use the more you can expect it to cost. You might have heard about billion dollar spectrum auctions to companies like Verizon, but that's for the rights to use a certain band within the whole country (for cellphones). When it's just at one location it's a routine process. As I said though might have some requirements like the use of certified equipment - look them up