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My parents live in Canada and can't get wired Internet. They previously had satellite from another provider (can't remember which) and it sounds like it was muc

My parents live in Canada and can't get wired Internet. They previously had satellite from another provider (can't remember which) and it sounds like it was much better quality than this although latency was definitely a problem. They've since switched to some type of cellular modem (not sure what exactly) but of course not everyone has that option. (A few years back, the phone company ran fiber right across the street from them for a cell tower a few miles away, but nothing they could use as consumers.)

crossroadsguy 6y ago
Parent commenter and now you - what's story of wired Internet in Canada? Some law or Canada is in general extremely inaccessible? I mean I've heard it's colder and nicer America but is it that bad?
- bombcar 6y ago
  America is sparsely populated - and Canada is even worse. Miles and miles and miles outside the cities where there’s just not much of anything.
- michaelmior 6y ago
  I saw this coming :) It's not that bad. My parents just happen to live in farming territory a way outside a town of around 3,000. There's maybe three houses on their street and no one else really nearby so there's not a lot of financial incentive to run wires out there for providers. Like most places, the majority of the population lives in more densely populated areas and don't deal with these kind of issues.
- dghlsakjg 6y ago
  Canada has a landmass larger than the US with a population smaller than California. Where it is developed everything is much like the US (actually better, telecom rules make it so that cable providers are required to allow alternate ISPs access). But outside of populated areas the availability of services drops off very quickly. I live about a mile from a Costco and I don’t have access to public sewer or garbage collection.
  - crossroadsguy 6y ago
    Thank you. That clears it. By the way as an Indian I have always been attracted to your country, but it's just the cold that stops me from even attempting. (And I don't mean the "immigration" attraction, I had my chance in NL and after a backpacking trip I realized it was not my cup of tea). Same with Europe. Australia seems too far and in the middle of nowhere disconnected from every other place. I imagine it will be too lonely there. Coming back to Canada I also think we outsiders know very little about the place compared to say your neighbours and a place like the UK. I am heavily into watching cinema. Would you please recommend some filmmakers that show Canada in a way that people get to see how and what the life is there?
falcolas 6y ago
Here's what bugs me (I'm in "rural" america, but not quite as rural enough). All of these houses have power. They also, in most cases, had phone service. But somehow, companies can't manage to get fiber (or even copper) to these places? Something smells foul.
- briffle 6y ago
  In my old house in WI,a few min from Madison, it was 40,000ft of copper between my house and the central office. They had repeaters that were fine for voice traffic, but DSL is usually 15,000' or less.
- Dylan16807 6y ago
  It's definitely a motivation problem and not a technology problem. But I will note that normal copper wires are not good for this. You can't get usable speeds past 2-3 miles on telephone wires.
- yencabulator 6y ago
  The guy who installs DSL around here says the lines are bad enough that it'll reach about 3 Mbps, maybe. This house is wired to cable television, but that doesn't carry any internet.

crossroadsguy 6y ago

Parent commenter and now you - what's story of wired Internet in Canada? Some law or Canada is in general extremely inaccessible? I mean I've heard it's colder and nicer America but is it that bad?

bombcar 6y ago
America is sparsely populated - and Canada is even worse. Miles and miles and miles outside the cities where there’s just not much of anything.
michaelmior 6y ago
I saw this coming :) It's not that bad. My parents just happen to live in farming territory a way outside a town of around 3,000. There's maybe three houses on their street and no one else really nearby so there's not a lot of financial incentive to run wires out there for providers. Like most places, the majority of the population lives in more densely populated areas and don't deal with these kind of issues.
dghlsakjg 6y ago
Canada has a landmass larger than the US with a population smaller than California. Where it is developed everything is much like the US (actually better, telecom rules make it so that cable providers are required to allow alternate ISPs access). But outside of populated areas the availability of services drops off very quickly. I live about a mile from a Costco and I don’t have access to public sewer or garbage collection.
- crossroadsguy 6y ago
  Thank you. That clears it. By the way as an Indian I have always been attracted to your country, but it's just the cold that stops me from even attempting. (And I don't mean the "immigration" attraction, I had my chance in NL and after a backpacking trip I realized it was not my cup of tea). Same with Europe. Australia seems too far and in the middle of nowhere disconnected from every other place. I imagine it will be too lonely there. Coming back to Canada I also think we outsiders know very little about the place compared to say your neighbours and a place like the UK. I am heavily into watching cinema. Would you please recommend some filmmakers that show Canada in a way that people get to see how and what the life is there?

falcolas 6y ago

Here's what bugs me (I'm in "rural" america, but not quite as rural enough). All of these houses have power. They also, in most cases, had phone service. But somehow, companies can't manage to get fiber (or even copper) to these places? Something smells foul.

briffle 6y ago
In my old house in WI,a few min from Madison, it was 40,000ft of copper between my house and the central office. They had repeaters that were fine for voice traffic, but DSL is usually 15,000' or less.
Dylan16807 6y ago
It's definitely a motivation problem and not a technology problem. But I will note that normal copper wires are not good for this. You can't get usable speeds past 2-3 miles on telephone wires.
yencabulator 6y ago
The guy who installs DSL around here says the lines are bad enough that it'll reach about 3 Mbps, maybe. This house is wired to cable television, but that doesn't carry any internet.