Dial-up Internet users, rejoice! There are several new services now available. On the Coast, Verizon has a new 3G tower in the Mendocino Village area that serves users south of Caspar all the way to some parts of Albion and east into parts of Little River that offers cellular Internet as well as cellphone service. Satellite has taken a big leap into viable high speed Internet with a high capacity super satellite launched late 2011 by ViaSat, parent company of WildBlue and the new Exede service. For those within the Mendocino and Fort Bragg coverage zones, MCN is now offering their new FUSION Internet broadband. FUSION is a next generation ADSL2+ service supporting phone service and Internet connection with speeds up to 20 Mbps over traditional copper phone lines.

Verizon’s service can be accessed with download speeds ranging from 600 Kbps (kilobits per second) to 1.4 Mbps (megabits per second or 1400 kilobits) relative to “pony express” dial-up speed of 56 kilobits. The company offers a Jet Pack, or Mobile Broadband Connection package, which consists of a mifi card that will run on the strongest 3G signal available, and supports the next generation of cellular data called 4G LTE. The small device acts as a Wi-Fi router between your home computer and the Verizon service. It also makes the area into a “hot spot” for other wireless devices such as tablets, Kindles, and laptops. Be aware of keeping track of the ongoing usage however. It can add up fast and there are steep overage charges. One can purchase the service from a local Verizon dealer, get it online or call Verizon. Be sure to request the 14 day guarantee to try it out. Two plans are available with a 2 year contract – 5 Gb (Gigabits or total transmission allowed per month) for $50 or 10 Gb for $80. One user reports that it is more than ample for his needs and goes “pretty fast”. Assessing the usage of a service is an important consideration for the option one chooses. This is adequate for email and website browsing but not downloading a lot of movies.

For those in the dial- up desert with no cellular signal and outside the FUSION footprint, the new Exede by ViaSat satellite broadband Internet is good news  providing there is a clear line of sight to the southern horizon (trees occlude the signal). This super Satellite service promises more capacity than all the other satellites over North America combined and users can expect a ten fold improvement over previous satellite packages sold by WildBlue and HughesNet. The higher download speeds of up to 12 Mbps (it does vary by time of day and weather) should make viewing videos and surfing the Web more quickly possible (and even enjoyable) because the faster the transmission through the broadband pipe, the faster the web pages load. Compare 12Mbps (or 12,000 Kbps) to 56 kilobits download speed for dial-up.

There are three different Exede Satellite Internet packages available based on how much one wants to use in a month (or usage caps) starting with the basic package of 7.5 Gb for $49.99 per month up to 25 Gb monthly capacity for $129.99 per month. The one time set up charge is $149.99 (sorry, the old satellite dishes need to be replaced) and there is an equipment lease fee of $9.99 per month. Since Internet, telephone and television are all broadband applications, Exede satellite can be bundled into one bill with Dish TV for a reward of an extra 2.5 “gigs” a month for a total of 10 Gb.  New subscribers and current regular WildBlue customers who are NOT under contract can get the new Exede service soon from a local dealer or from the WildBlue company online. For a local dealer, look in the Yellow Pages or on this website page http://www.viasatresidential.com/exede/get-exede/packages-pricing. Put in your zip code to get a dealer nearby. Those still under a WildBlue contract are considered Legacy systems and will be able to upgrade later in the year with an installation charge because it needs a new eye, and an equipment lease fee. There is a great tool on the Exede website called Exede Plan Selector – start here - http://www.viasatresidential.com/exede/home. Select “Which plan is right for you?”  Then notice all the different categories of usage with slider bars underneath. Move those to get a usage and suggested package to order. One can still the Stimulus package satellite at very affordable prices from WildBlue and HughesNet (traditional satellite only up to 1.5Mb download speed but with free installation).

One concern for satellite users has been the latency or delay in transmission as the signal goes up 22,000 miles to the satellite and down again with each click. Exede claims their new system takes the latency out for most applications so one can watch a video without stutter or freeze. One new user reports that she watched a nine minute YouTube all the way through without stutter and with little jitter! Computer gaming needs a very fast speed and still may not be possible over satellite. Exede has plans to add VOIP, a telephone service, later in 2012 which will allow users to Skype or both talk and see the person on the other end on the computer screen.

Finally, consider MCN’s new FUSION voice and next generation ADSL2+ high speed Internet service combined with a landline voice phone service if the connection spot is within an approximate 2 mile radius of downtown Fort Bragg or Mendocino. Those who already have DSL service can upgrade to this new service. One can get up to 20 Mbps download speed and the closer one is to downtown, the faster the speed. Compare ADSL2+ to regular DSL which has a data transfer speed range of 128 kilobits to 3 Mbps (or 3000 Kb). Look on the MCN website or call MCN for further details on the various packages available. A new FUSION user says it is “lightening fast” relative to dial up. Moody’s has it.

For those who have cable TV connections, the Comcast cable-modem service is still available for Internet as well. Comcast added the Internet Essentials program last fall to help school children and their parents by providing low-cost broadband service for $9.95 a month; the option to purchase a full-service, Internet ready computer for under $150; and multiple options for digital literacy training in print, online and in person. It is only available however to school children who qualify for free meals under the National School Lunch Plan. Local school offices have details. This service is up to 10 Mbps.

How does one make the choice between cellular service, satellite and other services? How does one make sense of all this high tech terminology? Broadband, bits, bytes, megabits and even gigs – what does it all mean? Broadband is now defined as the overall high-capacity telecommunications network that quickly delivers services like Internet, telephone and television. The primary consideration in the decision making process is the quality and size of service you want. Those are expressed in terms of how many bits traverse the connection per second. Since this occurs at the speed of light, the data transfer speeds are usually expressed in terms of kilobits per second (Kbps) and megabits per second (Mbps with 1000 kilobits in each one). The difference between them all is the size of the broadband pipe that sends and receives digital information like emails, pictures, and videos. The bigger the pipe, the more information that can flow through it and the more the bandwidth (or rate of delivery of the electronic information) that can be transmitted from source to consumer. If you want only enough “juice” to download emails and pictures easily, then you do not need a super big pipe and maybe a plan up to 3 Mbps is enough. If you want to download books and movies, you want a bigger pipeline and data transfer speed, like, ADSL2+, satellite, or cable. Then consider how much you will need each month. It is analogous to how much fuel you put in your car relative to how fast you use it up. The capacity usage (or fuel available) is in terms of Gigabits and the speed at which one uses up that fuel (Kbps and Mbps) is the key. The faster you drive or the higher the speed and the more you use the bandwidth available, the faster you will use the monthly usage.

Go forth and rejoice with these broadband breakthroughs. The Broadband Alliance of Mendocino County is working to get all residences connected with affordable high speed Internet. Submitted by Shirley Freriks – sfreriks@mcn.org.

If you want high speed Internet Broadband at your residence and/or business, Friday March 9 is the day to show up at Snider Park in Willits, take a survey to put your dot on the broadband map – and get a free T-shirt! The Broadband Alliance of Mendocino County needs to find out what locations county-wide are served with what kind of service, and which locations are not served so it can make an accurate map of broadband availability for the whole County. The survey data will be held in strict confidence and does not ask for a name, just an address or roads as a locator for a dot on the map.

The “Get Your Dot!” event is hosted by Bob Perkowski, Outreach committee member and owner of Perkowski Screenprint and Embroidery, and the Broadband Alliance. Perkowski will be at Snider Park (E. Commercial at Humboldt Street) near the big memorial rock from 9:30 to 5:30 to talk about broadband, give people surveys to fill out, and hand out free T-shirts to those who complete the survey. Supervisor Pinches will be at the event from 1 to 2:30 pm during which time there will be an informal presentation by the Broadband Alliance to give some background and answer questions.

The Alliance is working to help all communities that demand broadband service to get it. It needs the survey information in order to correct the inaccurate State and Federal maps that claim 84% of County residences are connected at the National Broadband Plan standard of 4 Mbps download speed. The Alliance estimates that only approximately 50% of County residences have this high speed Internet. If these maps are not corrected, it will be difficult to get grant money to work with providers to deploy the infrastructure. The Alliance is looking for Broadband Heroes to represent their communities to help with communication and organization. Your participation will make a difference.

In case of rain, the event will be held at Willits City Hall.

Submitted by Shirley Freriks, Outreach Chair for the Alliance –
sfreriks@mcn.org      707-937-1677

The Federal Communications Commission took a huge step forward on Oct. 27,2011 to ensure all Americans will have access to high-speed Internet by voting unanimously to comprehensively reform its Universal Service Fund system. This reform creates a New Connect America Fund with an annual budget of no more than $4.5 billion which will extend broadband infrastructure to the millions of Americans who currently have no access – like approximately 50% of Mendocino County homes and businesses – within the next decade. FCC expects that this fund will provide advanced fixed and mobile coverage nationwide while keeping increased costs to customers at a minimum. The FCC’s Lifeline program for low-income customers will stay in place.

Consumers have been paying into the Universal Service Fund as part of their monthly phone bills to help offset the costs of building phone networks to hard-to-reach areas. Until now, this part of the program — which amounts to $4.5 billion annually with the remaining funds going to schools, libraries and the needy — has funded only basic phone service. The FCC’s reforms direct that money to upgrading networks to support broadband and mobile broadband. It is part of the FCC’s larger plan to phase out the traditional public-switched network (land lines) to make room for more advanced technologies.

This bold action has the potential to be one of the biggest job creators in rural America in decades by increasing the overall size of the U.S. marketplace, giving small Main Street businesses across the country the opportunity to sell to new customers. It also has the potential to give each citizen the equal right to online access to be able to do the online filings and reporting now required by all levels of government. It allows each person to be able to use this form of communication for the myriad of ways most urban citizens now depend on, and take for granted, via high-speed Internet. Choosing to live a rural lifestyle will no longer keep us from being part of the global 21st century.
FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski said,

“We are taking a system designed for the Alexander Graham Bell era of rotary telephones and modernizing it for the era of Steve Jobs and the Internet future he imagined. Today’s order puts us on the path to get broadband to every American by the end of the decade.”

This Fund will help the County to put in the necessary infrastructure and the Broadband Alliance of Mendocino County is well positioned and organized to receive and use the County’s share in the coming years.

For the more immediate future, BAMC is very pleased and grateful to announce that it has received a $15,000 grant from PG&E to support its planning and organizational work. Alison Talbott, Government Relations executive, said,

“PG&E is committed to working with our community partners to strengthen the communities we live and work in. To that end, it is especially positive that this grant will be considered matching funds for the Community Foundation’s broadband challenge grant. I believe this project has enormously important, long term implications for the residents of Mendocino County.”

BAMC invites and welcomes all forms of engagement from people willing to be part of the excitement. Regional representation and participation is necessary from every area in the County.

Please contact Shirley Freriks at info@mendocinobroadband.org.

The Broadband Alliance of Mendocino County was the only community-based respondent out of a total of 24 from all over the nation to inform the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) that access to broadband capability is, in fact, NOT being adequately deployed to citizens and businesses in Mendocino County, thereby contradicting assertions by major telecommunications providers that it is adequate. The National Broadband Plan refers to the “broadband ecosystem” as the way information is transmitted or delivered quickly (minimum download speeds of 4 Mbps relative to less than 1 Mbps from dial up or regular DSL) from place to place, and includes ways in which it is used (applications or content like email, search, news, maps, purchasing) as well as the networks used (cable, fixed fiber, wireless, cellular, DSL, satellite) and the devices available for connection to the networks.

On September 6, 2011, the Alliance submitted its report to the FCC, which is conducting an inquiry to “determine whether advanced telecommunications capability is being deployed to all Americans in a reasonable and timely fashion”. The Alliance’s full report to the FCC can be viewed at the Broadband Alliance of Mendocino County website: http://mendocinobroadband.org.

The Alliance reported that the FCC’s deployment data on its map is not correct. http://www.broadband.gov/maps/availability.htm  It currently indicates that 84% of homes in Mendocino County have access to high performance broadband speed Internet service, while the Alliance’s own research indicates that approximately 50% of residences do NOT have access to broadband capability.  The Alliance stated that the reason for this discrepancy appears to be that the FCC relies heavily on information provided by telecommunications providers, who seem to have a vested interest in overstating deployment information in hard-to-serve areas. The Alliance told the FCC that the agency needs credible deployment data that is obtained independently of broadband carriers, performing in-the-field validation of that information.

The FCC also needs to better assess the needs of unserved and underserved “really rural” communities and provide more financial assistance so they can develop solutions that actually achieve broadband deployment. Mendocino’s efforts are 100% volunteer at this time with inadequate funding to hire necessary professionals and do the work.

The Alliance is currently asking all Mendocino County residents and businesses, whether served or unserved with high speed Internet, to respond to a Survey to help prove its statistics as a way to correct the FCC maps http://mendocinobroadband.org/?page_id=182. It will take the involvement of all to get coverage necessary for personal convenience as more and more is being required to be done only online, computer updates get bigger, and for economic renewal.

There is movement toward the Broadband Alliance of Mendocino County’s goal to get “everyone, everywhere” in the County connected to high speed Internet on a Broadband network that will also handle telephone, television, emergency service communications, tele-health services, and more. The group is organized for success and has just been awarded $20,000 per year for 3 years as part of the Redwood Coast Connect Broadband Consortia project from the California Public Utilities Commission’s Advanced Services Fund. The purpose of the Consortia is to engage local community stakeholders like the Mendocino Alliance and coordinate efforts between four neighboring counties to the north to develop broadband networks and support broadband adoption by least served communities. The group was also the recipient of a $15,000 grant from PG&E recently that will benefit planning and mapping activities. Significant amounts of money are available for actual infrastructure deployment from USDA and CPUC and the Alliance will be going out to get our share of it in 2012.

The Alliance made a presentation to the Board of Supervisors on December 6 to show what has been accomplished in the last six months. The all-volunteer professional Steering Committee now collaborates with most of the County agencies and anchor institutions, and is endorsed by over 70 organizations county-wide. A network of Community Council representatives is growing and the goal is to have every small community involved to champion their areas. Send a note to info@mendocinobroadband.org to get your community hooked up.

Economic revitalization is one of the goals for this ambitious team since it has been shown that broadband has been and will be even more of an economic driver of significant proportions in the future. They are collaborating with California State University Chico’s Center for Economic Development to gain expertise to do the major mapping project necessary to get accurate data on where there is, and is not, coverage and to what degree. Without this correct map, funding may be denied since the current government maps are taken from provider data that show that 84% of housing units in the County have access at 4 Mbps or greater. The Alliance estimates only 50% have some connectivity and most of it is at less than the 4Mbps download speed set as a minimum by the National Broadband Plan. More detail can be found on this at  http://mendocinobroadband.org/ All residents, especially those that have only dial-up, are asked to take the short online Broadband Access Survey that will provide the data for the essential map. Paper surveys for those without connectivity are available from Shirley Freriks 937-1677.

Greg Jirak, Strategic Planning Chair for the Alliance, says, “Lack of action to deploy broadband networks will disenfranchise large portions of the County, leading to decline in property values and loss of Internet-based home businesses.” The Alliance wants all residents to have the same right to connect to the World Wide Web that other citizens of the USA and the world have, as well as the ability to watch or stream the Board of Supervisors meetings.

Submitted by Shirley Freriks of the Alliance – info@mendocinobroadband.org

Broadband Alliance of Mendocino County (BAMC or The Broadband Alliance) is working to secure broadband connectivity for residences and businesses at or above the National Broadband Plan standard of 4Mbps (Mega or million bits per second) download speed and 1Mbps upload. Anything less than that is not considered acceptable high speed Internet even though it may still be called broadband. Unfortunately, it will be a while before the goal is accomplished to ensure this basic access to the entire population and all businesses in the County. There is some urgency since it is highly likely that plain old telephone service as we know it with a dialtone will begin being phased out as early as 2018 in many areas. The Alliance understands the frustration of those who are now fed up with slow dial up data transfer speeds and offers this information on interim solutions

The definition of broadband has changed. The term broadband now refers to the means of quickly transporting electronic information of all kinds quickly from one point to another. The broadband network is like a highway system and, in fact, follows our CALTRANS highway system. The big fat feeder pipes usually run down the main highways and carry a lot of information capability. Then the smaller main roads are called “middle mile” for the network distribution. The “last mile” gets the data from the main road to a residence and back again. The critical measure is the data transfer connection speed for the data through the network. Dial-up is insufficient because it cannot move the data fast enough for the technology available so dial-up users have a hard time doing computer updates or receiving a picture or accessing most websites. Jut so you can get the picture, the estimated time to move 1 Gigabyte of information by dial-up is 3.5 days and satellite would take “only” 1.75 days relative to 3G cellular phone at 45 hours. True broadband is more than the National Broadband Plan minimums of 4 Mbps download speed and 1 Mbps upload speed. Unfortunately most of Mendocino County has less than true broadband, which is why the committee has formed to change that in the next few years. The interim solutions for those below the minimum are discussed below.

Broadband is now an essential public infrastructure and cornerstone of community life. It has become more than just high speed Internet access as a luxury item. For example, mobile telephone service is delivered over a broadband network using VOIP (Voice over Internet Protocol). Video conferencing over the broadband network through services like Skype saves business people time and money with video conferencing and allows friends and family to see each other while chatting. Broadband will soon replace traditional dial tone as you know it. Large urban areas already have Comcast’s “Triple Play” or AT&T’s “U-verse” which bundles Internet, telephone and TV, and some areas in the County may also have this available. If you currently have cable for TV or use Direct TV, it may be possible to get high speed Internet with the same company.

There are interim solutions for those who are fed up with slow dial up data transfer speeds of about 56kbps and need something faster. Such technologies, like DSL, WiFi (3G/4G wireless), or satellite may be available in your area. Below is a quick comparison of what they can provide:
DSL:  DSL is a technology provided over your existing telephone lines.  It is only available in a 2-3 mile radius from a point where AT&T or other carrier has deployed the service. Check with your local provider to see if your phone system has been upgraded to DSL.  MCN offers this service to some locales on the coast and their website is:  www.mcn.org.    DSL speeds and prices vary from 384kbps to 3Mbps depending on the availability, package selected, and distance from the central office. Surfing the web and checking email can be done with 384kbps. For viewing videos or playing games online plus access to new services like NetFlix online one needs the higher rates. A few communities (Ukiah & Willits) in our county are already receiving a new upgraded version of DSL called ADSL2+ which is broadband quality and will reach speeds of 20Mbps.

WIRELESS:    There are various companies within Mendocino County who can provide “direct wireless” which is residential and business DSL without the copper wires required for landline DSL.  This can be done using a variety of antennas aimed at the service provider’s node on select hilltops which relay the signal. Technologies used are WiFi, WiMax, proprietary 900Mghz radios and even microwave antennas.   Wireless solutions are typically more costly than landline DSL or Cable Modems but provide similar performance for those who happen to be out of reach or not yet serviced by a major carrier.

CELLULAR MODEMS:   Accessing high speed Internet connection through a cellular phone connection is yet another solution. US Cellular, AT&T, T-mobile, and Verizon offer a 3G Internet service in some areas, and other companies may as well. Marginal cell phone reception can be improved significantly by amplifiers and larger antennas designed to support cellular technology. Local offices will offer equipment recommendations and let you test to find out if there is enough signal strength for data access before needing to make the investment. There are also individuals and businesses in the area that specialize in providing cellular connections to homes & businesses. Look at the page called “Fed up with Dial up? – Set up suggestions” at http://mendocinocoastbroadband.org for a these set ups.

SATELLITE:   Access to the internet via satellite is another solution available if there is a clear view of the southern horizon where the satellite is. It does have a latency issue which means there is a delay in accessing information due to its travel 46,000 miles up and down to the satellite.   This is typically less than one second and acceptable to most people browsing the internet. Satellite is still advertised as 10 times faster than dial up even though it is not up to the National Broadband Plan standards.  The cost of satellite has been traditionally pricey but right now both Hughes Net and Wild Blue are offering affordable basic packages subsidized by the Federal government through USDA’s Rural Utilities Services grants stemming from the Broadband stimulus finding. Both offer a 1Mbps download package for $39.99 per month with no contract, no installation charges, and no monthly equipment fees. Look online at http://www.hughesnetpower.com/plans.cfm  to see if your address is eligible. If the search comes back with “address not found”, call 1-800-212-2008. Contact Wild Blue online at http://www.wildblue.com/usa/index.jsp or call 1-888-578-7772. These packages are a significant savings over the usual cost IF your address is eligible.  One word of caution with satellite is that there are usage caps or limits on how much can be used in a day.   Heavy internet users can incur significant cost penalties if they go over the limit so read the terms and conditions carefully.

The Broadband Alliance is offering these ideas to ease the pain of dial up for the short term with no guarantee that anything will work for an individual location but it is a place to start. Each person, residence, and business that is unserved or underserved to assist the County data collection by going to www.mendocinobroadband.org  and taking the Internet Access Survey. This is critical to be able to correct the incorrect government maps that show the County 84% served. The Alliance must correct these maps in order to get the necessary funding to get everyone connected. The website is compatible to dial-up usage and the survey only takes a few minutes at most. It is also recommended to do a consumer broadband speed performance test and register as a Broadband Dead Zone at http://www.broadband.gov/qualitytest/about/.

Visit http://mendocinocoastbroadband.org  to look at the May 24, 2011 presentation to the Board of Supervisors for more details on the future of broadband and why it is essential for the good of the County. Please contact BAMC if you want to help the county-wide effort (info@bmendocinobroadband.org) or if you are thinking of starting something locally in order to coordinate local and county efforts for mutual benefit.

HELP US TO HELP YOU

AND GET EVERYONE CONNECTED BEFORE LANDLINES GO AWAY!

PLEASE TAKE THE BROADBAND ACCESS SURVEY NOW

You can also download and print out the survey in ENGLISH or ESPANOL

Alliance Broadband Access Survey current coverage map 11-11-11

]]> http://mendocinobroadband.org/?feed=rss2&p=222 0 http://mendocinobroadband.org/?p=139&utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=139 http://mendocinobroadband.org/?p=139#comments Thu, 08 Sep 2011 19:03:12 +0000 admin http://mendocinobroadband.net/?p=139 The Broadband Alliance of Mendocino County (BAMC) has informed the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) that broadband service is not being adequately deployed to citizens and businesses in our county, contradicting assertions by major telecommunications providers to the contrary.

On September 6, 2011, BAMC submitted its response to the FCC, which is conducting an inquiry to “determine whether advanced telecommunications capability is being deployed to all Americans in a reasonable and timely fashion.” With this inquiry, the FCC asked responders to answer the following questions with “objective, empirical data and evidence”:

A) What Is Advanced Telecommunications Capability?
B) How Should Broadband Deployment Be Interpreted and Measured?
C) Is Broadband Being Deployed to All Americans?
D) Is Broadband Deployment Reasonable and Timely?
E) Is Broadband Available to All Americans?
F) What new data and/or analysis would improve FCC progress reports?
G) What Actions Can Accelerate Deployment?

BAMC’s response to the FCC. (document download)

Comments from all responders.

The FCC’s 8th Broadband Progress Notice of Inquiry. (document download)

The deadline for comments to the FCC was September 6, 2011. ]]> http://mendocinobroadband.org/?feed=rss2&p=139 0 http://mendocinobroadband.org/?p=132&utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=broadband-business-and-the-bottom-line http://mendocinobroadband.org/?p=132#comments Thu, 01 Sep 2011 21:23:25 +0000 admin http://mendocinobroadband.net/?p=132 You can improve performance and profit with high speed Internet.

Today’s business is 24/7 via website and Smartphone.
Gone are the days of “Sorry, we are closed”.

• Compete successfully for future sales growth using the online resources younger customers want and expect as their way to do business and communicate 24/7. By end 2011, an estimated 50% of the US population will use Smartphones. A recent study shows that already 27% of mobile subscribers are not going to physical stores.
• Increase efficiency and profit with cost and time savings on overhead, administrative tasks, and physical space with off-site personnel who can work from home.
• Save advertising dollars, increase marketing power, and target audience more effectively with exciting websites and social media networking, even to attract local customers.
• Meet expectations of vendors, government agencies, and customers who demand communication online.
• Improve customer relations with the ability to get direct feedback and respond quickly.
• Save money, time and gas with online meetings through streaming, Skype, VOIP.

The Alliance is working for you

• To provide affordable universal broadband access to homes and businesses to support economic viability, ensure health and safety, offer access to educational opportunities, attract new home buyers, and keep our kids in our communities.
• To facilitate the building of a county-wide connectivity network to accommodate escalating future technology needs to replace the disappearing land line and dial up options.

You can be a broadband leader

• Invest in the future growth of your business, your community, and the County by partnering with the Alliance to offer knowledge, time, and other contributions.
• TOGETHER we can do it!

First, the definition of broadband has changed. It has become more than just high speed Internet access as a luxury item. Broadband is now an essential public infrastructure and cornerstone of community life. It has become the primary means of transporting electronic information of all kinds quickly from one point to another. For example, mobile telephone service is delivered over a broadband network using VOIP (Voice over Internet Protocol). Video conferencing over the broadband network through services like Skype saves business people time and money with video conferencing and allows friends and family to see each other while chatting. Broadband will soon replace traditional dial tone as you know it. Large urban areas already have Comcast’s “Triple Play” or AT&T’s “U-verse” which bundles Internet, telephone and TV, and some areas in the County may also have this available. If you currently have cable for TV or use Direct TV, it may be possible to get high speed Internet with the same company.

The Alliance asks all who are unserved or underserved people and businesses to assist the County data collection by taking the Internet Access Survey. The website is compatible to dial-up usage and the survey only takes a few minutes at most. It is also recommended to do a consumer broadband speed performance test and register as a Broadband Dead Zone

There are interim solutions for those who are fed up with slow dial up data transfer speeds of about 56kbps and need something faster. Such technologies, like DSL, WiFi (3G/4G wireless), or satellite may be available in your area. Below is a quick comparison of what they can provide:
DSL: DSL is a technology provided over your existing telephone lines. It is only available in a 2-3 mile radius from a point where AT&T or other carrier has deployed the service. Check with your local provider to see if your phone system has been upgraded to DSL. MCN offers this service to some locales on the coast. DSL speeds and prices vary from 384kbps to 3Mbps depending on the availability, package selected, and distance from the central office. Surfing the web and checking email can be done with 384kbps. For viewing videos or playing games online plus access to new services like NetFlix online one needs the higher rates. A few communities (Ukiah & Willits) in our county are already receiving a new upgraded version of DSL called ADSL2+ which is broadband quality and will reach speeds of 20Mbps.

WIRELESS: There are various companies within Mendocino County who can provide “direct wireless” which is residential and business DSL without the copper wires required for landline DSL.  This can be done using a variety of antennas aimed at the service provider’s node on select hilltops which relay the signal. Technologies used are WiFi, WiMax, proprietary 900Mghz radios and even microwave antennas.   Wireless solutions are typically more costly than landline DSL or Cable Modems but provide similar performance for those who happen to be out of reach or not yet serviced by a major carrier.

CELLULAR MODEMS: Accessing high speed Internet connection through a cellular phone connection is yet another solution. US Cellular, AT&T, T-mobile, and Verizon offer a 3G Internet service in some areas, and other companies may as well. Marginal cell phone reception can be improved significantly by amplifiers and larger antennas designed to support cellular technology. Local offices will offer equipment recommendations and let you test to find out if there is enough signal strength for data access before needing to make the investment. There are also individuals and businesses in the area that specialize in providing cellular connections to homes & businesses. Review “Fed up with Dial up? – Set up suggestions” for a these set ups.

SATELLITE: Access to the internet via satellite is another solution available if there is a clear view of the southern horizon where the satellite is. It does have a latency issue which means there is a delay in accessing information due to its travel 46,000 miles up and down to the satellite.   This is typically less than one second and acceptable to most people browsing the internet. Satellite is still advertised as 10 times faster than dial up even though it is not up to the National Broadband Plan standards.  The cost of satellite has been traditionally pricey but right now both Hughes Net and Wild Blue are offering affordable basic packages subsidized by the Federal government through USDA’s Rural Utilities Services grants stemming from the Broadband stimulus finding. Both offer a 1Mbps download package for $39.99 per month with no contract, no installation charges, and no monthly equipment fees. Look online at Hughes Net to see if your address is eligible. If the search comes back with “address not found”, call 1-800-212-2008. Contact Wild Blue online or call 1-888-578-7772. These packages are a significant savings over the usual cost IF your address is eligible.  One word of caution with satellite is that there are usage caps or limits on how much can be used in a day.   Heavy internet users can incur significant cost penalties if they go over the limit so read the terms and conditions carefully.

BMAC is offering these ideas to ease the pain of dial up for the short term with no guarantee that anything will work for an individual location but it is a place to start. Take a look at the May 24, 2011 presentation to the Board of Supervisors (.pdf download) for more details on the future of broadband and why it is essential for the good of the County. Please contact BAMC if you want to help the county-wide effort (sfreriks@mcn.org) or if you are thinking of starting something locally in order to coordinate local and county efforts for mutual benefit.