Better Rural Broadband Needed

[Jim Meade / Iowa City]

Data access is an essential part of agriculature these days.  I'm tired of slow internet.  Caching, buffering, hang-ups - grrr.

Of course, when the government can't even keep roads and bridges working, why should we expect business to improve internet access in low density areas?

[Hobbyfarmer]

Seems to be luck of the draw.

Here they put in fiber optic. It'll run as fast as you want to pay for.

One mile away, next phone co....still only dial-up everybody on some sort of wireless.

Wireless is probably the future, and will be the best option, cheaper to deliever too.

I don't think I'd want to be the company stringing miles and miles of high $ cable four feet deep 

All around the countryside to compete with wireless.

[sw363535]

The things saving conectivity for rural areas so far is the presence of schools and governmental offices in rural areas....

If we start seeing these consolidating to larger metropolitan areas then look out we wont be able to hold on to the telegraph..

[gurly3801539]

I'm sure wireless is cheeper to deliver but it is not always dependable.  We were with a co-op that put in a service in its custumer area. They beamed it to line of sight.  All kinds of problems keeping anttenne lined up.  They quit.  We have been on satelite for a few years now and are at the mercy of summer storms.  Right when you would like to be watching the radar, you lose signal. Our phone lines are old enough that dial up wasn't working well when we quit that.  I'm sure the cost is high but I always though fiber optic would be the most dependable.