Big warning for rural web based or subscritpion software users

[dypinc]

After our lines have been down for over a month now and Centurylink just flat-out refusing to repair them and have been doing a lot of research into what is going on. I finding lots of people and businesses with the same problem. I found this article that explains pretty clear to what I have been finding. https://www.techdirt.com/articles/2...-broadband-nobody-seems-to-have-noticed.shtml

I am glad I have avoided web based or subscritpion software as much as possible. I can get by with a Verizon Wireless hotspot on my phone because I have not found anything better as this point. Thinking of getting another line and just hook a phone premonitory to a computer and use internet sharing to have some internet connection.

 

[jfiscus]

There is one "connection" on my road that everyone is sharing (at full price) through only one line's bandwidth.
So, all 15 of the homes share what one home should have access to and they all pay regular price.
I figured that out when I "subscribed" and didn't even have dial-up speeds and then had a conversation with the office.

 

[dypinc]

I am finding out real fast the PUCO has no real teeth.

 

[2B]

while I love the country and wouldn't live anywhere else, getting stable/liable internet with ANY speed is an issue.
have tried;
* satellites,
*line of sight
* DSL

The option that has been the best on all points tested is called CraddlePoint.
* speeds 21mb down / 27mb up,
*stable, even when multiple users are using

 

[WildWestDesigns]

We used to be fairly rural when my family moved up here. Now it's a fairly big metropolis. Having said that, there are still times when internet goes down for a day here or there. Nothing obvious as to why, but it does.

Having a Verizon myfi has helped with getting things in or out when needing to email stuff.

This is one reason why I didn't like the idea of cloud based and/or subscription software. This can kill efficiency.

Now, I will say that I actually do like apps that are based off web technologies, but here is the caveat, those web pages are either hosted locally or they are in the form of an Electron (which makes it a desktop application). I've actually created quite a few of these that don't need to be on a web server and I have a few that others had opened sourced as well. It's pretty cool what one can do with HTML, CSS and JS (and combined with Electron, even better), but they are still all local and can run locally.

Brave new world out there and in many ways this "always connected" software culture is no bueno for everyone. But I'll stop here before I put my tinfoil hat on.

 

[Signed Out]

while I love the country and wouldn't live anywhere else, getting stable/liable internet with ANY speed is an issue.
have tried;
* satellites,
*line of sight
* DSL

The option that has been the best on all points tested is called CraddlePoint.
* speeds 21mb down / 27mb up,
*stable, even when multiple users are using

CradlePoint, I'll have to look into this.

We are currently using a couple verizon wireless usb modems 4G, plugged into a networked router. Speeds are OK, but data is limited to 15 g per month, so we have 2. When those run out we can use the hotspots on our phones or purchase more data. The modems only cost $20 per month when added to our cell plan, but it's such an annoyance to monitor, and we have to limit our data use somewhat.

 

[dypinc]

CradlePoint, I'll have to look into this.

We are currently using a couple verizon wireless usb modems 4G, plugged into a networked router. Speeds are OK, but data is limited to 15 g per month, so we have 2. When those run out we can use the hotspots on our phones or purchase more data. The modems only cost $20 per month when added to our cell plan, but it's such an annoyance to monitor, and we have to limit our data use somewhat.

I looked at those Jetpacks but the hard data cap just won't do it that is why I have been using the phone hotspot because the data cap with the phones is just prioritized. Have a local wireless company coming in to tomorrow to see if they can get a signal bouncing from an access point from a neighbor. I have my doubts it will work but at this point I have to try. Viasat might be an option if they can get a waver to use the V-SAT 1 satellite. V-SAT-2 I can not hit. But there again there are data caps and it is $200 a month.

 

[dypinc]

Now I find out why neither the PUCO or I can get any information out of them. Because I filed a PUCO complaint.

 

[James Burke]

I'm not really out in the boonies, but we dumped our landline and DSL two years ago and switched to wireless broadband and VOIP telephone service. Currently, we're on the outer fringe of their coverage area and I've been impressed. Runs me less than $90 a month for phone (with free calling to Canada) and unlimited data. Video and music stream better than I'd been used to. Our tower is only 3 miles away, but our topography is very hilly and they were skeptical we'd be able to draw a decent signal, but we're at the lowest threshold. They said that future upgrades would put us well within their reach.

So far, absolutely no complaints...except I'm trying to find a good reason to call somebody in Canada.

Gabagoo...I think you're up that way, eh?


JB

 

[Christian @ 2CT Media]

Have any of you tried Microwave Broadband?

We had it for a few years until they finally ran fiber to our buildings. On the Microwave we were getting north of 500/100 and we were 6 miles from the tower.

 

[Reveal1]

Political Alert - don't read if you are like me and exhausted with politics being introduced in seemingly every thread. However, this is one area I feel it is appropriate. Disclosure, I'm generally Libertarian leaning and have a healthy distrust of the government trying to fix anything. But the web-based economy is reminiscent of the transportation based economy of the 50's and the interstate highway system that developed as a result. The difference being, as our country continues to split between large population centers and those of us in flyover country, the investors and decision makers don't really have an incentive for us to be along for the ride. In the fifties, they HAD to build interstates so food and goods could get to them. But not really the same level of incentive to invest in infrastructure for a population that is scattered, less populated, has way different cultural values and doesn't have the political clout the few populous states have (and they want to make it worse by eliminating the electoral college) . If ever there was a case for breaking a monopoly, it is the ISP stranglehold developing among the cable companies.

 

[dypinc]

Gaming the system for CAF money is another one of those government boondoggles. The big telcos got all that money and where was it spent? They report our area as 10/1 which qualifies as being upgraded and reported as done in 2016. IT WAS A A BIG LIE. And everybody knows it.

Why couldn't all that money not have a given to the local rural communities or counties to invest in the communication infrastructure. The honest counties governments would have probably made better use of those funds. But on the other hand if you look at the political machines in most of America's poorest counties it would probably would have all been taken by the those corrupt politicians, with nothing being done to benefit the purple who live there or their economy, in much the same way as the crumbling large cities. To bring politics up are we supposed to believe that the 120% of the eligible voters that vote that in those areas really don't want things to get any better.