The Internet Black Hole...
Slow speed access in a high speed world...
Two miles from the nearest cable provider's service, and less than two miles from the local telephone substation, the closest many still have to broadband speed is the satellite dish in their own backyard.
"Speed" relating to broadband or the Internet is a relative term for one living in a dark hole of telecommunications such as this. Recent upload/download speed tests shows an upload speed of 46.0 kbps (kilobytes per second), and a download speed of 342.00 kbps. It must be a good day and this the first megabyte transferred. The "throttling" of the speed by the service provider will take a toll on larger transfers. Plug-in a 3G wireless modem into a laptop? Speeds are one-fifth as fast as in nearby metropolitan areas.
It's not called "web-crawling" for nothing! The front page of USA Today can take more than two minutes to completely download - forget anything showing a video clip. YouTube? Not for this area.
There is a silver lining in this cloud. Why have more speed if your total megabyte download is restricted? For this particular satellite and service plan, exceeding a maximum of 375 megabytes in ANY 24-hour period will guarantee you no access for the following 24-hour period. Monitor this on your own system but beware the service provider's bit meter will make the final call - 4 hours behind real time. This is the notorious FAP (Fair Access Policy.)
The dreaded FAP, (Fair Access Policy) - It isn't...
While other ISPs are beginning to mention FAP policies, users of HughesNet - formerly DirecWay, received no FAP notice even though FAP was not part of the original contract. When they say "Terms and conditions may change without notice" - they really mean it.
Expense is also high for this "deluxe" internet access. Many residents will have to use dial-up since they can't afford the upfront and monthly expense. Initial costs of the satellite dish, modem, and installation exceed $1000.00. The required long-term contract can set customers back an additional $100 per month. Remember, this is for internet access only. No cable, and no communicating with other planets!
Compare this to in-town residents paying $35 per month for Time Warner’s "RoadRunner" service or Embarq's DSL which provide speeds several times faster than satellite.
Why is this a problem?
#1 Page designers and information services: When it takes 4 megabytes of bandwidth to load your home page, and news stories are a 20 megabyte video clip, you can be sure you won't find your links in many bookmarks.#2 PPC advertisers: Before investing too much time or money adding high speed, high capacity servers to your internet business, remember - many are limited by the data trickle offered outside the urban telecommunications core. A web site has no value if not viewed.
#3 Netflix: Great service! Thanks to snail mail, any customers can receive by postal mail and view the movies you offer. Not so with your Instant Download feature many are paying for but are unable to enjoy.
#4 Governments and lease holders of telecom access: The new Administration is touting infrastructure improvements from highways and bridges to an enhanced electrical grid. Don't forget the data! Communities don't need eight lanes of highway to get to the dirt road at the end. They do need the latest weather information, commodity pricing, and to have access to the same public resources as other, more densely populated communities. After all, they do bear the same tax burden.
More about rural living coming soon or, head over to our Country Living Emporium