Jul 26, 2010
Eric Summers

The United States still lags behind most of the developed world in terms of broadband access. Many Americans live in rural parts of the country where running additional lines or installing new access points are not cost effective for the major broadband companies. Because of this some areas, even though they have a fairly dense population, are still years away from being serviced by DSL or cable internet.

While DSL and cable internet are the current best choices for broadband, there are still alternatives available which can be used in areas where those options are still not available. These options are not as fast or as reliable in most cases as DSL or cable, but they do provide true broadband capabilities. Depending on the need of the customer, these alternative access methods may be just as good in the long run.

Satellite Internet Access

One of the more popular alternative access methods is satellite. Accessing the Internet via a satellite connection removes just about all geographic barriers. Most, if not all, of the United States is potentially accessible by satellite. The major factor that would prevent a customer from being able to use satellite would be local geography such as a nearby hill or mountain that blocks line of sight to the southern sky.

Satellite Internet providers utilize either their own satellites or lease resources from other satellite owners. These satellites are parked in geostationary orbit around the equator of the Earth. The customers Internet traffic is relayed up to the satellite and then back down to the providers Network Operations Center (NOC) and then on to the Internet. Return traffic follows the same path, only in reverse.

Satellite Internet provides speeds near DSL capabilities and are growing every year as hardware and software improves according to the Federal Communications Commission publication “Getting Broadband“. Users who need Internet access solely for email, web browsing, or viewing streaming content will find satellite Internet a viable option. However because of the long distance that Internet traffic has to travel on satellite Internet, real time gaming and telephony will be frustrating at best.

Cellular Internet Access

Cellular coverage of the United States is far greater than coverage by DSL or cable. Because of this accessing the Internet through a cellular connection may be an option for some customers. Basically if a house has cell phone signal, then most likely it can also utilize a cellular internet connection if their carrier has installed the proper equipment on a nearby tower.

Most major cell phone carriers offer cellular Internet access, however the pricing and performance varies greatly from one company to the next. One company may have excellent phone service in an area, but terrible data service. Someone looking to try cellular Internet access should make sure that they can purchase the necessary equipment and have time to test how well it performs while still having the option to return the equipment and cancel the plan in a reasonable amount of time.

Cellular Internet speeds are not as great as DSL or even Satellite but are still several orders faster than dial-up, again according to the FCC “Getting Broadband” publication. Web browsing, music and video streaming, email and even some Internet gaming work fine over cellular Internet. However because the bandwidth is shared on the cell tower the actual upload and download speeds will not be constant over time, and latency may increase during times of heavy usage.

Pricing for cellular Internet varies greatly from one company to the next. Some carriers offer near unlimited data usage while others limit the amount of data that can be transferred in a month. While most casual users would rarely have to worry about bandwidth limits, users who stream music or video for several hours a day may find themselves running into the limits and costly overage charges.

Fixed Wireless Internet

In fixed wireless customers communicate with the Internet via radio signals sent to and received from a station that is attached directly to the Internet. The access requires line of sight between the customers antenna and the access point. Speeds on fixed wireless are much slower than DSL or cable, but are still fast enough to be considered “true” broadband.

Fixed wireless was one of the first solutions for rural users that came to life early in the century and still continues to be an option for many users. Under good conditions, fixed wireless can provide a fast, stable, low latency connection that can be used for email, web browsing, and even Internet gaming.

Because it relies both on line of sight and radio signals to communicate, fixed wireless service can be disrupted by local obstructions such as trees or newly constructed houses. In addition the signal can perform poorly under poor weather conditions or heavy fog.

Rural Internet Access

Rural residents needing Internet access are not without options. The advantages of one service over another is highly dependent on the users particular needs as well as the reliability of that particular service in relation to where the user lives. In general rural internet options are more costly than the ones available to users in larger metropolitan areas.