Dial up internet

[sputnut]

One big difference.. We have about 9 fresh inches of snow right now. Be thankful for where you live. (also the dish is gone. Apparently the last guy wasn't happy with the cable they provided. 150 channels.. what's not to like?)

comin' your way soon!

[Aaron S]

quote:

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Originally posted by KeaauRich

And another factor at play here is that the DSL subscriber has to be located within about 3000 feet of the central office or the remote terminal. The DSL speed degrades the further the user is from the central office or remote terminal.

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That isn't exactly accurate. I live 3750 wire feet from the central
office and was able to get 7Mbps DSL service.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_sub...ultiplexer


25 Mbit/s at 1,000 feet (~300 m)
24 Mbit/s at 2,000 feet (~600 m)
23 Mbit/s at 3,000 feet (~900 m)
22 Mbit/s at 4,000 feet (~1.2 km)
21 Mbit/s at 5,000 feet (~1.5 km)
19 Mbit/s at 6,000 feet (~1.8 km)
16 Mbit/s at 7,000 feet (~2.1 km)
8 Mbit/s at 10,000 feet (~3 km)
1.5 Mbit/s at 15,000 feet (4.5 km)
800 kbit/s at 17,000 feet (~5.2 km)

DSL is accessible as far as 17,000 wire feet from the central office/remote terminal.

[KeaauRich]

quote:

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Originally posted by Aaron S

That isn't exactly accurate. I live 3750 wire feet from the central
office and was able to get 7Mbps DSL service.

<snip for space>

DSL is accessible as far as 17,000 wire feet from the central office/remote terminal.

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Oops, you're right..my figure wasn't "exactly accurate" it was totally inaccurate. Aaron's right, the distance limit is closer to 3.5 miles (I got the three part right...)

The reason some of the smaller companies in other areas are able to deploy DSL more aggressively also has to do with the way they are compensated for calls. Without going into too much detail, they receive universal service subsidies from the government and payments from the major long distance companies for completing the local end of LD calls; the way these "inter-carrier compensation" rates are structured, the small companies can make out like bandits. I'm not sure how much Hawaiian Tel took in from these subsidies when they were owned by GTE and Verizon vs. what they take in now (or how much revenue GTE/Verizon kicked in for capital development vs. the current owners). All I know is that the money isn't flowing into equipment for our area.

[Aaron S]

Sandwich Isles Communications, the execlusive telecom provider for Hawaiian Homelands, is making out like bandits. They were making 800.00 per line in universal service subsidies before the FCC imposed a 250.00 cap on these subsidies, which they've appealed to the FCC.

http://www.civilbeat.com/articles/2013/0...hawaiians/

Hawaiian Telcom was certified to receive similiar subsidies to expand bandband coverage in rural areas.

http://www.tmcnet.com/usubmit/2013/10/07/7462117.htm

[kalakoa]

The G.lite ADSL spec says 1.5Mbit to 17500 feet (depending on line quality).

SDSL will get you 400kbit up to about 26000 feet.

IDSL is "only" 144kbit (2B1Q coding) but there is no distance limit.

The problem isn't cost, demand, density, or available technology, it's the legacy northamerica regulatory structure. Simply: why should Telcom bring you an "unlimited" internet connection when that same usage could be "better monetized" with a wireless rate structure that includes caps and overage fees?

Insult-to-injury: all Telcom's copper plant was heavily subsidized by taxpayers... who now get to "pay again" for wireless. Hooray for America.

[seekir]

So would anyone with DSL service care to review the product as it might compare with the satellite ISP services like Hughesnet? I assume DSL is less expensive, but don't know by how much. I suppose it also probably doesn't suffer some of the upload and weather problems sat systems apparently have. My neighbor informs me that his Hughesnet modem requires considerable power to talk to outer space, and the data caps and other restrictions suggest that it's not a great product at the current price. He also says the satellite is quite low on the horizon, which dictates that the dish must be mounted at considerable elevation.

I'm not real enthusiastic about satellite internet and wondering if it might be worth contacting legislators and attempting to inspire some initiative to extend DSL service to the po' folks. Maybe a concerted effort would yield some change and service extension?

[kalakoa]

Any "service quality" comparison will vary widely depending on how the individual DSL line is provisioned. Many/most locations served by a remote DSLAM will suffer contention for the uplink. Best/worst example is service along the red road; all those subscribers are fighting for the little bit of bandwidth that connects their remote DSLAM to the CO.

Best legislative fix would be to simply redefine "Universal Service" to include broadband; right now, the only "guaranteed service for poor folks" is analog dialtone.

[seekir]

quote:

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The problem isn't cost, demand, density, or available technology, it's the legacy northamerica regulatory structure. Simply: why should Telcom bring you an "unlimited" internet connection when that same usage could be "better monetized" with a wireless rate structure that includes caps and overage fees?

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So the rest of the DSL infrastructure was bought and set up before the ISP realized they could charge more for sat and cell-based wireless broadband in the remote remaining areas? I suppose it's possible. I called Hughes net and learned the "discount" rate on their webpage was for three months only. The scheme seems to be a sales gimmick since the monthly bill goes up by $10.00 after that. They also fail to post extraneous details about the additional $10.00 customers pay per month to rent the modem, and the 2 year contract ($400.00 penalty for cancelling prematurely). Seems to add up to at least $60.00/month for the base 5mb-down/1mb-up plan, and they offer little recourse for a customer who isn't satisfied with the performance after installation (other than paying more for an upgraded plan). I guess the latency problems with sat broadband also make certain games and other capabilities which land-line broadband offers impossible. Great.

[Obie]

I have dsl here in Hawaii,my bill is $63.00/month.This includes my phone service and unlimited long distance.

On the mainland I have Hughesnet Gen 4.The cost is $71.00/month.This cost is subsidized by the American Recovery Act

The Hughesnet is faster than dsl but is subject to usage limits.When my Granddaughter visits in the summer we frequently exceed those limits.

My speed here is about 6 Mbps down and .75 up.

The Hughesnet is rated at 10 down and 2 up.

[seekir]

Thanks Obie. That DSL deal with it's phone service included sounds better than the Hughesnet to me.