Byte by Bite

New York Times finds rural folks use Internet satellite

by Marv Dealy

In an article published November 14th, Ken Belson writes “The town of Rindge, N.H., is just 70 miles from Boston, but to telephone and cable companies it might as well be at the end of the earth. Many of the town’s 5,500 residents cannot get broadband Internet access” from the IPS and cable companies in the area. (http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/14/technology/14satellite.html)

Belson continues that “Roughly 15 million households cannot get broadband from their phone or cable provider because the companies have been slow to expand their high-speed networks in areas where there are not enough customers to generate what they regard as an adequate profit.”

The article continues on about how there are drawbacks to satellite service, such as the monthly price being way higher than cable in downtown Boston. It also points out that truly heavy rain can knock the signal out temporarily – that’s true for your satellite TV as well, by the way.

On the other hand, the article continues that other technologies such as broadband over power lines (BPL) or what I call VaporFi that reaches for miles instead of feet aren’t available, and people from farmers to hospitals need access to high-speed communications now, not in several years.

Belson says that while the number of subscribers using satellites to connect to the Internet are a fraction of that connecting through cable or telephone companies the numbers are growing, with a nearly 35 percent jump expected by the end of 2006 compared to the end of 2005.

HughesNet signs up 10,000 new users each month, with 80 percent of them being consumers. WildBlue is adding 15,000 new customers each month, or is trying to as those of you on waiting lists know. WildBlue, says Belson, expects to have 120,000 customers by the end of 2006 and is launching its own satellite soon to greatly increase its ability to handle new customers, as is Hughesnet.

The article points out that operating margins at satellite broadband providers are “about twice those at a cable companies, which must pay heavily for programming and employ teams of workmen to handle installations. WildBlue and Hughes, on the other hand, outsource the work to third-party installers and dealers. Their biggest constant expenses are for marketing and subsidies for the dishes and other equipment.”

You 26 regular readers know by now that I’ve pointed out repeatedly that you need to be very careful who you have do your WildBlue install, and there are ever more stories to report of folks who got stuck with someone other than the only dealer and installer in California I’m willing to recommend. Regular readers remember the dish at the Hotel Jeffery which was pointed to the wrong spot on the horizon, or the dish out at PML that was hung outside the gentleman’s home office window entirely blocking his view, or perhaps the people from someplace in Oakdale who don’t return phone calls.

Listen carefully as we go over this one more time. The satellite service offered through AT&T is simply rebranded WildBlue service. You take your chances on the installer if you order through AT&T. You take your chances on the installer if you order through WildBlue’s website, as well. In either instance you’ll be handed the next available installer on the list at a third party dispatcher not under the control of WildBlue itself.

The only company I’ve recommended and who I continue to recommend is Blacksheep Satellite of Georgetown, California. Call them directly if you’re interested in satellite service – they also offer all the other brands – at 877 203-1884. Tell ‘em I sent you. Won’t save you a dime, but you’ll be talking to people who keep appointments, do professional work, and don’t have to make “comebacks.”

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Quickie Reviews. First, Microsoft’s new operating system – Vista. Microsoft goes overboard to make your desktop look like a Mac. If you’ve an older computer don’t even think about upgrading. A newer computer will probably need more RAM and possibly a new hard drive to provide disk space. If you’re someone who constantly upgrades your hardware you’ll run into a prohibition from Microsoft that’s new – if you upgrade your motherboard or other “major” parts you’ll be unable to use your license to reinstall Vista. Microsoft considers the upgrade to have created a “new” computer.

Internet Explorer 7 – again, Microsoft wants to look like Apple. Finally Internet Exploder offers tabbed browsing, several years after Firefox introduced the feature. Inexplicably, Microsoft chooses to hide the perfectly useable word menus. All in all, it’s nice, but it’s not Firefox (still free at Mozilla.com).

Play Station 3, Wii and Xbox 360 – This is according to an official gamer as well as to various reviews. PS3 is a year late and rumors abound of it not being backward compatible – it may not play your older games. Xbox 360 still rocks, although the “We” looks pretty interesting with its new interface – you really swing at the tennis ball instead of just punching a button.

Phishing filters – A study sponsored by Microsoft said that the new Internet Exploder 7 is better at detecting phishing scam web sites than other browsers. Not so fast says Firefox. According to a study they sponsored, Firefox 2 is way better, blocking some 82 percent of phishing sites compared with IE7 at 55 percent. Yet one more reason to just stick with Firefox.

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Broadband on the hill. Quite some time ago we were told that there were several projects in the AT&T pipeline that were supposed to come to fruition, to wit: the installation of equipment necessary to expand DSL service to four regions in Tuolumne County including Jamestown, Columbia, east of Sonora and Groveland. Service has indeed been turned on in Columbia – just after we finished overseeing yet another WildBlue installation on the back of the Eagle Cottage in Columbia State Park and running the signal via radio to the Columbia Hotel AT&T made DSL available. Come spring we’ll be switching the feed into the wireless system from satellite to DSL.

Readers of my column in the Union Democrat have reported that DSL service has indeed been expanded to cover parts of Tuolumne served by Frontier (mostly phone numbers beginning in 928) as well as areas to the east of Phoenix Lake up toward Crystal Falls, but inexplicably not serving all of Phoenix Lake apparently.

I’ve not been privy to any reports of Jamestown getting further service and any news there would be useful.

Which brings us back to Groveland. Yet another year is disappearing and DSL still isn’t available to more than half of PML and regions to the east. Rumors have abounded about whether or not all the equipment is installed (I don’t think it is) and that the phone company is mysteriously just choosing not to offer the service, probably just to bug one or two specific people (hi, Bob).

Matt Ashe has passed along a way to create a community owned house to house mesh network using older computers and a nominal amount of work with inexpensive radio antennae and free software. The theory goes that an Internet signal is radioed to a house on a hill that can see other houses. An Internet receiving/transmitting radio is set up at that first house. Any interested houses within a certain distance (between 500 feet and a mile, depending) could assemble their own radio/computer (or “node”) and then participate in the signal beaming from that house on the hill.

The signal can be passed along, house to house, in theory forever. Cooperation for such an endeavor would be critical from both GCSD and the PMLA folks. I’ve heard from Jim Goodrich that he’s ready to proceed with looking into this plan, now how about it, Joe Powell? Anyone else out there interested in looking into a cooperative approach to Internet where you can’t get it now?

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That’s it for this month from The Computer Guy — e-mail me any rants at marv.dealy@throck.com For your review, these columns are posted on our web site at www.throck.com/articles

Marv Dealy founded Throckmorten Enterprises in San Francisco in 1988 and moved the company to Big Oak Flat in 1996. The company has branches in Boise and Sutter Creek. Throckmorten provides support to companies such as Hewlett Packard and The Griffin Company in “webinars” in addition to marketing, graphic design, newsletter production, web design, wired and wireless networks, home audio, computer repair and upgrades (Mac or PC). Big Oak Flat office open Monday thru Friday, 9-ish to 5-ish. Phone 209 962-7308.