Internet access still a wish for many in rural areas

[Mark Holtz]

From Sacramento Bee:

Internet access still a wish for many in rural areasFred Pilot lives within earshot of busy Highway 50.

Proximity to a modern roadway, however, hasn't helped him gain the kind of cheap Internet access that most people these days take for granted.

The 55-year-old Camino resident lives just out of the reach of AT&T's Internet service and Comcast's cable network.FULLARTICLE HERE (http://www.sacbee.com/topstories/story/1467978.html)

I have worked with some of these customers up until a few years ago as a ISP tech. In some cases, they were lucky to get 28.8 connection. And, with the real-time applications that populate the net, satellite connections aren't much better because of the latency.

[BubblePuppy]

The problem is that so many companies, business's, and job search sites assume everyone has access to the net. I'm finding out that many employers will only accept job applications through online applications or email.
And if you buy a computer, there is the net assumption, again, for updates, registration and diagnostics.
I'm enrolled in a Management/Supervisor curriculum at a local college, and I have 3 online classes that if I had to take those classes in the standard classroom setting the times would have conflicted with each other, and some courses are only available as Distance Learning courses.
Access to the net has become a necessity.

[paulman182]

28.8 is all I can connect with from home.

Thank goodness my job allows me to spend time on the web while working, or I'd never get anything done.

Can anyone advise me about the speed and reliability of using 3G cellular as an ISP on a laptop? That could be an option for me as I can see a cellphone tower from my house.

[djlong]

I have Verizon Wireless and occasionally use my Treo as a 'cell modem' for my laptop. Very reliable at "slow dsl" speeds when going through their EV-DO network.