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Usage Tells the Real Story

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There’s a disparity between what Internet Service Provider (ISP) companies are reporting for broadband access and what people living in rural communities are actually experiencing. According to the FCC, nearly 95% of Americans have access to broadband. This is an amalgamation of what ISPs are self-reporting to the agency. When you look at actual usage, however, it drops to nearly half of all Americans. Essentially, 157 million Americans cannot use broadband on any regular basis.

Microsoft, as part of their AirBand initiative, has been collecting data on broadband (25 Gb speed, or greater) across the country. The results are startling.

(See the link to the article here. It has additional data and information.)

There may be connectivity in the community or on the street, but it doesn’t reach houses or businesses, it’s too expensive to connect, or services are over-reported as being available when they actually aren’t. Let me give you some examples I’ve seen in my travels:

  • A cellphone customer suddenly can’t get access. She calls the company to ask why. They state that there is coverage in her area and she should have signal. They also mention that one of the towers was taken down but that shouldn’t affect her access. She’s on a 2-year contract which she can’t eliminate. She doesn’t have access. The company says she does. She’s stuck.
  • An ISP brings connectivity to the street, but doesn’t connect it to the farmhouse, because the house is half a mile inside the farm. To conserve energy and work time, farmhouses are centered within the farm, not placed at the edge. The company requires $10,000 to complete the full connection, because of the distance. For many farmers, that is their entire annual salary.
  • The Covid-19 lockdown has closed libraries and coffee shops where so many people usually access the internet. Without these resources, they are essentially cut off from most connectivity, including governmental services.

Correctly collected and analyzed data is crucial to understanding what is really going on in the world. If all of our important resources, such as unemployment, social security, and access to our elected representatives, are only available online, why isn’t access required in all our towns and rural spaces? Why do we still think that connectivity is a luxury?

New Tech!

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What’s new in the world of tech! More importantly, what’s new that folks in the countryside can use and use effectively? Actually, quite a bit.

The way we access information is changing in a profound way. We now have devices, instead of computers. In fact, I’m using my new EVO Android mobile phone to write this post. I’m no longer tied to a desk in an office, either. I’m composing this entry from the stable on my farm, while watching over Meme, the draft horse mare who is not feeling well.

For rural folks, this divergence of input-output devices means more options in accessing broadband. Many times we may have access to cell phone coverage but no wired broadband. Other times, we do have broadband but no signal for our cell phones. These new devices allow us to access the internet from any source. My phone is currently using my wi-fi to get to my blog site, but can switch to cellular coverage if I go out of range of my N-router. Nice!

There is one company, Republic Wireless, that has been testing new software, in beta, on Android phones, that will automatically send everything through a cable or DSL connection, when it finds one. This includes even your cell phone calls! The cell minutes used each month is less and the price, consequently, goes down accordingly. The beta cost for Republic Wireless was $19 a month. I’m hoping that they continue that pricing structure once they go live with the system. Fingers crossed! Right now, I’m using Virgin Mobile’s $35 a month unlimited data plan, (unlimited texting, 300 minutes talk) which is a darned site better in cost than any of the big company plans.

Microsoft just announced their Surface tablet which will have the new Windows 8 operating system. I’m dying to play with one and see how it functions. It comes with a keyboard built in and real ports, such as USB and HDMI, which you need to function in a business environment. The iPad requires bluetooth, which most existing monitors and projectors just don’t have. Still other companies are coming out with larger format phones and smaller tablets. Soon, especially when they are able to market flexible screens, our laptops, tablets, phones, and MP3 players will meld into one device, capable of doing everything you need, from calling your mother, to publishing your writing, to running a globally diverse online conference. In addition, it will be small enough to fit in your pocket.

Prices will continue to come down as portability expands. Next year, a new law goes into effect that allows you to choose any cell phone service no matter what phone you have. (This is currently how it works in Europe.) The prices, consequently, are going to have to come down, as the various phone monopolies are eradicated.

Incidentally, my mare, Meme, should be just fine. She just got too much green pasture grass, I’m sure. The vet paid a visit and administered good medications. She will feel better in the morning. Still, I like to watch over her.