Satellite Broadband Pushes for USF Funds

With ViaSat-1 launch coming soon, at least they can justify paying off some of that as opposed to much of the funding being "slushed" around by other companies...

From what I've read, the new satellite will provide speeds that don't suck.

Any additional USF funds that go to satellite providers or to Verizon Wireless or AT&T Mobility are IMHO wasted dollars. Satellite internet isn't real broadband and AT&T and Verizon have proven over and over again that they don't care about rural areas.

They've been saying that for years, never happens. Part of the problem is "misery equilibrium." As soon as it improves any, more people pile onto it.

As soon as a satellite provider quits being Dial-Up v2.0, then we'll talk about broadband funds. Until then, you'd think charging $50 for a service who only has one real feature (doesn't tie up an existing phone line) shouldn't have a problem turning a profit from a captive audience.

Reason number 87318971432890471390781238 to abolish the USF.

How can a satellite provider ask for $$$ to deploy broadband to underserved areas? Can't anyone in the US get satellite service?

The only argument that the satellite companies can make is that the entire country is underserved due to the underwhelming service being provided to everyone.

I thought FCC classified broadband as 4 down 1 up. Satellite cant even offer that. It would be a complete waste to give money to these folks trying to expand a service that can only be expanded so much till youre back in the same spot you were in before.

Give me cable, dsl, fiber or 4G, not satellite.

I couldn't WAIT to get something other than Wildblue. Talk about desperate...satellite ISP is the definition of VERY last resort.

The latency and FAP wasn't too bad when I first subscribed. But then they oversold the beam, lopped 25% off bandwidth (10G down to 7.5G a month rolling average), and made changes that made latency worse -- 1100ms pings, anyone? -- and I'd had enough.

I will never EVER sign a contract with a cap again. I was FAP cop by default and the whole satellite ISP experience left a very bitter taste in my mouth.

Noway, no how should they get tax money. Period.

Satellite can provide that, and does... AT commerial installations, limited in number and PRICED accordingly, IT can't offer that to everyone with current satellites and the cost of new sats will keep the price out of reach and non competitive in non-rural areas, for really rural areas it may be the ONLY choice and users will have to live with higher prices, lower speeds, and high latentcy.

It is possible to engineer a ADA wheelchair ramp to the top of mount everest... It is impractical and unaffordable to actually build it.

I think we should do away with all of the overpriced no service and screw the customers and go with national phone and broadband service by the gov. Seems we are paying for it anyway at least that way we only pay once and might get some decent prices vs speeds.
OH BOY and maybe even no caps.

That was awfully cute, but maybe we should focus on wheelchair ramps hobbled by DESIGN, as the neat-o cable cap. Wheelchair ramps with potholes and limited number of trips/day/user to keep the wheelchair racing "abusers" at bay. That might even help e-book piracy by those pesky wheelchair riders, to remember some "Fair and Balanced" commenter a while back that set a record of stupidity defending the cap(s).

I hear some theory that the Egyptians used a sand ramp 2 miles long to build the pyramids, maybe cable HSI might hire a few of those to help.

I've always said we need to turn these birds off and have them propel to the moon/sun for the hell of it and to open up the area for more useful things.. I am in no way in hell in favor of usf going to satellite internet.. Its proved time after time again to be too crappy for the price, and heavily capped..

USF if even at all should be used to push fiber to all homes in this country.. After that is done, abolish the fund and allow isp's to lease the areas to provide service... . And no more free cell phones for the illegals!

Uh oh!!!!

True that they've been overpromising for years, but this new satellite may actually deliver... It's supposedly able to handle about 130 Gigabits/sec.

»www.viasat.com/broadband ··· viasat-1

If all goes as expected, it seems likely that Wildblue (and whoever else has contracted for bandwidth on this satellite) will actually be able to offer service that works reasonably well (obviously latency will still be high, but throughput would be improved...).

Last I read, it's expected to launch this summer and plans/equipment etc. will be available as soon as this fall...

Satellite will never work. The latency will always be too high, it's a matter of physics. Let's get to wifi, 4G, or land-based options. Also, without government money, satellite is still there.

how does your obvious hatred of cable caps have anything to do with USF for broadband via sat. systems? His comment about the ramp also had nothing to do with cable just an example of how something is possible but impractical to do.

but you can only get about a 1.5Mb download with daily caps? they should be able to give you unlimited 5Mb download all day considering a lot of people just leave their boxes on HD channels 24/7.

That sounds like a lot until you realize it's only 130,000 1Mb transfers.

LOL

i dont get near this like the plague....... simple bad 99 percent of the time

All the USF is, is another re-election slush fund for politicians, it should be abolished but that will never happen for this very reason.

No problem use eminent domain. Now where is my 400 trillion dollars? The US Constitution demands just compensation when private property is seized for the "public good". You do support and defend the US Constitution do you not?

As for the USF New Jersey gets not one penny yet paid in billions. Whhhaaaaaaa what a joke; it would be funny if it wasn't costing me money and the ability to get fiber to my premise. Excuse me I going to vomit now.

You don't tug on Superman's cape, you don't pull the mask off the O'll Lone Ranger and you don't mess around with Slim...."s profits from the USF.

The richest man in the world knows how to game the system.

Because the caps are instituted by most providers, some with more excuses than others. NONE of the providers should get ANY USF funds as long as they engage in collusion agreements and monopolistic behaviour.

PROVIDE THE SERVICE YOU SOLD. Simple.

KEEP THE PAWS AWAY FROM THE FORCED SUBSIDIES THAT DELIVER NO VALUE.

Speed doesn't matter as long as their caps are as pathetic as mobile broadband's is.

They are working at providing internet service to rural areas.
According to the guidelines set forth.
"The major goals of Universal Service as mandated by the 1996 Act are as follows:

To promote the availability of quality services at just, reasonable, and affordable rates,
To increase access to advanced telecommunications services throughout the Nation,
To advance the availability of such services to all consumers, including those in low income, rural, insular, and high cost areas at rates that are reasonably comparable to those charged in urban areas,
To increase access to telecommunications and advanced services in schools, libraries and rural health care facilities,
To provide equitable and non-discriminatory contributions from all providers of telecommunications services to the fund supporting universal service programs." (stolen from wikipedia).

Satellite internet falls under a few if not all of these provisions set forth. Why should just big telco be the only ones getting part of the pie, its clear which service can and does provide service consistently to the rural areas. ( the service might not be super fast but who knows maybe if some fluff money gets thrown their way it can get better or more innovative).

Your 400 Trillion Dollars was paid for with Tax bene's, USF, preferential, monopolistic laws.. etc. etc. etc. x 400 Trillion dollars!!!!!! AND what was promised was never delivered after all that. Where's the consumers frick'n 400 Trillion dollars worth of service??? Blast people when are we going to get it and realize we are being taken to the cleaners by big biz in cohoots with "OUR?" politicians... It was great to watch 60 minutes and listen to a CEO talk about contact with congress and how easy it is and that his senator calls him! Your constitution was never intended to give BUSINESS the same rights as citizens. For the PEOPLE by the PEOPLE... Declaration of Independance... Maybe it's finally time to take that document out of storage and start living by what it says again. Washington was smart enough to get out of government after a reasonable term. Maybe that's where we should start!

With all the problems using satellite for the internet, I'm thankfull every day for Hughesnet. It beats the hell out of 26.4 dialup any day!

Even with all the stimulus $$$ given away by Obama, people living in the boonies are many years away from getting real broadband.

Namely, it will always have too high a latency. There is just that whole pesky speed of light thing, that is just unavoidable physics.

You have nearly 600ms of latency (two trips up and down to geosynchronous orbit). Which is effectively unusably "slow" no matter how much bandwidth you have.

Thus geosynchronous Satellite only ONLY makes sense when there are no wires around and no terrestrial wireless around. So if you're out in the Alaskan bush, yeah, it makes sense. But thats about it.

Raise your right; do you promise to tell the truth and nothing but the "Tele Truth"? BTW how are they doing getting you FTTP? Not quite as good as Google but close.

Who owns these businesses (stock) you want to steel $400 trillion from? Could it be "people"? Go for it, steal from widows and orphans so the great unwashed can have free 100/100 porn in their outhouse.

A total fail on all counts of this requirement. The service is overpriced, crappy, and not always available (FAP comes to mind). Now if introductory satellite was offered at $10/month and compete with dial-up, then that might actually be reasonable.