The Rise Of The Rural Super Telco > Try a time machine!

Try a time machine!

Makes since. I am just happy my WISP works as well as a wired ISP. Too bad they wont let me get the next speed package, it would oversell them too much.

reply to me1212

said by me1212:

said by Mr Matt:

If you take a ride back in a time machine to the 20's and 30's, you will find that most rural telephone service provided by Cooperatives! The Cooperatives were financed by low interest Rural Electrification Administration Loans.

With the Senate and Congress in the back pocket of the Broadband ISP's, I do not hold out to much hope for deployment of rural broadband soon.

Y can they not do something like that with broadband?

Ya know it makes me wonder how, WISPs can stay in business where it is not profitable enough for the big ISPs?

reply to Mr Matt
What would make more sense is to form a Co-Op that would pick up these areas and rewire them.

Many co-ops around the country are laying FTTH and many have been a TV provider for years, long before ATT and VZ even thought about doing it : »www.horizontechnology.net/ . based in Ohio and has been offering TV for at least 5 years now.

reply to me1212
I am sure if rural residents tried to form a broadband cooperative the Cable and Telephone Companies would quickly move to have the lawmakers in their pockets write laws making formation of such a cooperative a violation of the law.

WISP's can stay in business because of low infrastructure cost.

If the local cooperatives involve taxpayer funds backing them, then yes, the cable and telephone companies would likely cry foul...and rightfully so IMO.

reply to me1212
The "last mile" for the Wisp is much cheaper than a land line company. For example, if you lived down a 1 mile road by your self the telco would have to either bury or string cable to your place. That would include pull boxes or telephone poles. The extra costs of labor and materials would be VERY expensive.

A Wisp only needs a good line of site (or NLOS for 900) to get you a connection. The cost of the install and equipment at your place would be well below $1,000 for every thing.

There are a few small rural Telcos using Wisp gear but very few. I am surprised that more are not using more wireless in their plant.

reply to hottboiinnc

reply to battleop
Hmm, I ain't surprised, with wireless you put up the tower and every1 in the line of site and signal area can get it. Would cost a lot less than burring a mile of wire.

"I am surprised that more are not using more wireless in their plant." You and me both dude.

reply to viperlmw
VZ, ATT and Qwest are also get money from the USF so i don't see what the big deal is.

Horizon is the only one that has actually done anything really in terms of deploying anything on a more massive scale from what you can find. They have xDSL available for TV, they have faster DSL rates, and lower rates period. They actually compete with Cable on the terms of pricing and whats available. You don't see VZ or ATT even doing that. they just care about how much they can shove down your throat and claim you need it.

reply to openbox9
Rightfully so?! That's exactly how the phone companies got started! So it was OK to give a ton of money to build the phone companies networks, but now that we need another one to compete with them its not. Hmmm I can smell a double standard here.
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Open Source WAN Accelerator
»trafficsqueezer.sourceforge.net/

reply to openbox9

reply to yaplej

I think the taxpayer funding idea is an urban myth that some people just want to believe. They cling to it as if it is their religion.

reply to me1212
There's actually the $7.2B (beeeeeeelllllion) broadband grant in the ARA. So yes something like Rural Electrification for broadband could happen.

reply to me1212

said by me1212:

said by Mr Matt:

If you take a ride back in a time machine to the 20's and 30's, you will find that most rural telephone service provided by Cooperatives! The Cooperatives were financed by low interest Rural Electrification Administration Loans.

With the Senate and Congress in the back pocket of the Broadband ISP's, I do not hold out to much hope for deployment of rural broadband soon.

Y can they not do something like that with broadband?

reply to NormanS

reply to iansltx