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Rural Broadband Still A ‘Pipe’ dream

melt — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 10:35:36 +0000

And if the large ISP carriers(ATT and Verizon) have their way, it will remain just that, a pipedream. Efforts are underway to have wireless networks classified as “broadband” in an attempt to get a bigger slice of the Stimulus pie. And we all know that wireless networks are very far from “broadband”, and especially so in rural Mississippi.

I recently had the chance to test a local wireless service from ATT here in Tupelo. The price is around $50 a month and has a stingy 5 gigabyte cap or limit. You can get the aircard itself for free, if you sign a 2-year agreement.

The card they sent us was the Sierra Silverlight and out of the box wouldn’t load the software from it’s internal storage. I called them and they had me download the ATT Communication Manager from their website. After a lengthy install procedure, the software opened and started to look for a signal. Took a minute or two to find a signal, and a few more minutes to negotiate the connection to the internet. All tolled, it was about 6-7 minutes from initiating the software to connect to the net. And you thought your old 56k modem was slow! LOL.

And the slowness continues. From the three physical locations I tested this device, the 2G network was the only connection available. All the testing points were well within the city, although not “downtown”. A 3G network was found at one point but degraded to 2G upon negotiation. Performance at all three locations was about the same, extremely poor. Only marginally better than that old 56k modem. I can see now how they can get away with the 5 gig cap, you could never download that much in a month.

Here’s a close-up of the thing, it doesn’t look like much and it surely ain’t!

Click to enlarge

To add insult to injury, they are also attempting to have these networks exempt from the net-neutrality rules. This would effectively let them decide what applications you could use. They want to get paid to build an 8-lane superhighway while only providing a dirt path. And since conditions are so bad on the path you can only use a horse and buggy on it.
Here’s a jump to a reference article at gigaom: Carriers Aim to Keep Rural Broadband Under Their Thumb

Rural Broadband challenges U.S.

melt — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 18:04:17 +0000

The USDA has released it’s “Rural Broadband Report” for the current year. As has always been the case, the rural south is the most “broadband challenged” area of the country.

“The size and growth of U.S. Internet use is impressive as it becomes
more embedded in national and rural economies. Three-quarters
of U.S. residents used the Internet to access information, education,
and services in 2007. Widespread Internet adoption suggests it has great
value to individuals, businesses, and communities. Broadband Internet access is becoming essential for both businesses and households; many compare its evolution to other technologies now considered common necessities—such as cars, electricity, televisions, microwave ovens, and cell phones.
Although rural residents enjoy widespread access to the Internet, they are less likely to have high-speed, or broadband, Internet access than their urban counterparts.”

Jump to: Rural Broadband At A Glance, 2009 Edition

New Hope for Rural Broadband

melt — Sun, 14 Dec 2008 19:48:18 +0000

“Broadband service is becoming a necessity in rural areas.

In less than two decades since its commercialization, the internet has become an essential tool for businesses, schools, and families. Unfortunately those in rural areas seem to have been left in the dust as opposed to their urban counterparts. Hopefully in a few months that will become a thing of the past.”

Jump to Agriculture Online post: Fate of high-speed rural America unknown

Internet can save some ‘$721 a year’ on fuel

melt — Tue, 27 May 2008 08:02:02 +0000

From a New Zealand web site, a good story about one of the benefits of the Internet to rural areas. Some good lessons to be learned from those New Zealanders who have been dealing with high fuel prices for quite some time.

“The price of petrol is driving people in rural areas to use the internet rather than their cars, says rural broadband provider Farmside.As petrol prices jumped weekly in April, inquires about rural broadband nearly doubled, says Nick Carter, sales and marketing director of the Timaru firm. The trend has continued this month, he says. “Many of our new customers are citing rising fuel costs as one of the main reasons for getting satellite or wireless broadband.”

Jump to stuff.co.nz article