5 ms·

Rural internet users keep getting shafted. It seems every time there’s hope on the horizon, the definition of broadband gets shifted. I really hope this time is

by gdubs 6y ago

Rural internet users keep getting shafted. It seems every time there’s hope on the horizon, the definition of broadband gets shifted. I really hope this time is different. To this argument in particular: the whole idea of providing access to everyone is to level the playing field and create opportunities. It’s the promise of connectivity spurring innovation, changing the landscape, etc.

WalterSear 6y ago
Rural? Your point is valid, but 5/10Mbps up/down is the best I can get in San Francisco.
- ViViDboarder 6y ago
  In my last place, also in San Francisco I had 20 down 3 up. So better down and worse up. Definitely not a rural only problem. It’s a US problem.
  - fogihujy 6y ago
    That's ridiculously bad! I'm deep in the Finnish country-side and I get 48 down/19 up with a crappy USB 4G modem shared over an access point running on a Rpi4's built-in WiFi chip, in the other side or the house. And we have crappy 4G coverage in this house due to the surrounding terrain. I expected you lot would be able to get cheap 100/100 as a minimum in cities like San Fransisco. Edit: grammar
    - WalterSear 6y ago
      The technician told me not to saturate my downstream or the upstream will slow to a crawl :(
    - jusssi 6y ago
      That's not how it works in Finland either. In last 10 years, I've lived in 3 different apartments within 4 km radius from the Helsinki Railway Station. The latest one is the first where a 1000/100 Mbit cable is available, the two others were 24/(0.8-2.4) Mbit ADSL, or mobile that slows to a crawl so that Netflix / Youtube become unwatchable at times you'd be home watching them. Meanwhile, random acquaintances from the deepest Savo report that fiber just dropping to their front porch around 10 years ago.
      - fogihujy 6y ago
        I didn't even know you could still get ADSL here to be honest. Telia simply removed the landline cables out here (rural Satakunta) and there's nothing available but 4G and fiber. Countryside 4G has improved much the last few years. I can imagine 4G congestion being a problem in Helsinki, though it's more of a population density issue. 5G should fix that once it's more widespread.
nonameiguess 6y ago
I can see AT&T's world headquarters compound of four skyscrapers and a gaudy 60 foot jumbotron they installed last year from my bedroom window. I'm looking at it right now. They still don't offer fiber at all at my address. Fastest I can get is 10 mbps down. Broadband is a joke absolutely everywhere in this country, not just rural. I guess AT&T doesn't even service its own world headquarters?
- CyberDildonics 6y ago
  Not everywhere. In places where there is real competition the internet can be very fast. Modern DOCSIS 3.0 and above cable internet can get real speeds of at least 50 MB/s down. There are places in kansas city where you can get gigabit fiber from three different companies. It is only with competition that prices come down and speeds go up. It isn't really that hard in a physical sense to spool out coax in a neighborhood and from a technical standpoint that can deliver a lot of bandwidth.
  - madengr 6y ago
    There are also places in KC that have fiber from zero companies.
  - kaliszad 6y ago
    Actually you probably don't want to do anything with copper/ coax. Not so much because of the cabling but more because of the shitty chipsets and not much competition in that space. Also copper tends to be quite pricey. If you open the ground, you might just as well lay fibre. It would be ideal to have a pair at each home for redundancy and potential business full duplex 10 Gbps connection or two independent providers each on a different fibre. The extra fibre that you have "just in case" doesn't cost much at all as you just lay it to the nearest node and not further passive MUX/ CWDM/ DWDM or bandwidth sharing can be used from there depending if you want to have active components there.
    - CyberDildonics 6y ago
      What are you even saying? My comment was about how even coax internet that many people already have can be extremely fast and wasn't that expensive to lay down in the first place, but isn't used to its full potential because of a lack of competition.
cced 6y ago
I can’t wait for the day where Starlink becomes available and to call my ISP to cancel only to have them reduce my rate to be on par with that of Starlinks. I’m tempted to still say no even if they offer the service at half price. All these years of shafting.
rhino369 6y ago
I'm willing to subsidize rural internet access for poor areas as a basic human right. But for everyone else, you can take part the massive housing cost savings you have over the urban part of the country and buy star link.

by gdubs 6y ago

WalterSear 6y ago

Rural? Your point is valid, but 5/10Mbps up/down is the best I can get in San Francisco.

ViViDboarder 6y ago
In my last place, also in San Francisco I had 20 down 3 up. So better down and worse up. Definitely not a rural only problem. It’s a US problem.
- fogihujy 6y ago
  That's ridiculously bad! I'm deep in the Finnish country-side and I get 48 down/19 up with a crappy USB 4G modem shared over an access point running on a Rpi4's built-in WiFi chip, in the other side or the house. And we have crappy 4G coverage in this house due to the surrounding terrain. I expected you lot would be able to get cheap 100/100 as a minimum in cities like San Fransisco. Edit: grammar
  - WalterSear 6y ago
    The technician told me not to saturate my downstream or the upstream will slow to a crawl :(
  - jusssi 6y ago
    That's not how it works in Finland either. In last 10 years, I've lived in 3 different apartments within 4 km radius from the Helsinki Railway Station. The latest one is the first where a 1000/100 Mbit cable is available, the two others were 24/(0.8-2.4) Mbit ADSL, or mobile that slows to a crawl so that Netflix / Youtube become unwatchable at times you'd be home watching them. Meanwhile, random acquaintances from the deepest Savo report that fiber just dropping to their front porch around 10 years ago.
    - fogihujy 6y ago
      I didn't even know you could still get ADSL here to be honest. Telia simply removed the landline cables out here (rural Satakunta) and there's nothing available but 4G and fiber. Countryside 4G has improved much the last few years. I can imagine 4G congestion being a problem in Helsinki, though it's more of a population density issue. 5G should fix that once it's more widespread.

nonameiguess 6y ago

I can see AT&T's world headquarters compound of four skyscrapers and a gaudy 60 foot jumbotron they installed last year from my bedroom window. I'm looking at it right now. They still don't offer fiber at all at my address. Fastest I can get is 10 mbps down. Broadband is a joke absolutely everywhere in this country, not just rural. I guess AT&T doesn't even service its own world headquarters?

CyberDildonics 6y ago
Not everywhere. In places where there is real competition the internet can be very fast. Modern DOCSIS 3.0 and above cable internet can get real speeds of at least 50 MB/s down. There are places in kansas city where you can get gigabit fiber from three different companies. It is only with competition that prices come down and speeds go up. It isn't really that hard in a physical sense to spool out coax in a neighborhood and from a technical standpoint that can deliver a lot of bandwidth.
- madengr 6y ago
  There are also places in KC that have fiber from zero companies.
- kaliszad 6y ago
  Actually you probably don't want to do anything with copper/ coax. Not so much because of the cabling but more because of the shitty chipsets and not much competition in that space. Also copper tends to be quite pricey. If you open the ground, you might just as well lay fibre. It would be ideal to have a pair at each home for redundancy and potential business full duplex 10 Gbps connection or two independent providers each on a different fibre. The extra fibre that you have "just in case" doesn't cost much at all as you just lay it to the nearest node and not further passive MUX/ CWDM/ DWDM or bandwidth sharing can be used from there depending if you want to have active components there.
  - CyberDildonics 6y ago
    What are you even saying? My comment was about how even coax internet that many people already have can be extremely fast and wasn't that expensive to lay down in the first place, but isn't used to its full potential because of a lack of competition.

cced 6y ago

I can’t wait for the day where Starlink becomes available and to call my ISP to cancel only to have them reduce my rate to be on par with that of Starlinks. I’m tempted to still say no even if they offer the service at half price. All these years of shafting.

rhino369 6y ago

I'm willing to subsidize rural internet access for poor areas as a basic human right. But for everyone else, you can take part the massive housing cost savings you have over the urban part of the country and buy star link.