Internet in the Country

[kcflhrc]

In previous generations, the gummint passed laws that required the phone company to offer service to ALL customers, no matter what their location. That ensured that everyone was part of the network, and the higher cost of connecting rural customers was spread out over the lower cost of wiring urban ones. Now here we are in the 21st century and somehow the Internet isn't as important as the old copper phone lines and doesn't warrant the same treatment? Instead we get a few million here or there to improve a micro fraction of the network, and to subsidize satellite Internet. Incredibly short sighted.

It is still required to provide phone service to all customers. In each state you will have what's called COLR, Carrier Of Last Resort. You have to give them phone service. Why? Because it is still regulated. HSI is not regulated. So, until it is, and all HSI providers have to play by the same rules, you get what you get. No one needs home telephone service anymore. Almost all of my installs are pure broadband, no dial tone. However, since we are a regulated Telco, we also have to give them dial tone just for 911 purposes. Do the cable companies have to do this? Nope. Until everyone has to play by the same rules you will have issues.

 

[ultrarunner]

It is still required to provide phone service to all customers. In each state you will have what's called COLR, Carrier Of Last Resort. You have to give them phone service. Why? Because it is still regulated. HSI is not regulated. So, until it is, and all HSI providers have to play by the same rules, you get what you get. No one needs home telephone service anymore. Almost all of my installs are pure broadband, no dial tone. However, since we are a regulated Telco, we also have to give them dial tone just for 911 purposes. Do the cable companies have to do this? Nope. Until everyone has to play by the same rules you will have issues.

Can the carrier decline to provide telephone service or make the cost prohibitively high as to bar service installation?

I know even in the big city with most infrastructure dating from the 20's and 30's there were new homes where it took 6 months or longer because of capacity issues back in the 1980's

 

[kcflhrc]

Can the carrier decline to provide telephone service or make the cost prohibitively high as to bar service installation?

I know even in the big city with most infrastructure dating from the 20's and 30's there were new homes where it took 6 months or longer because of capacity issues back in the 1980's

If they are the Carrier of Last Resort then it is their responsibility to get the service installed. There is Government $$$$ that go with this commitment. However, and this is kinda bad, some states are getting rid of COLR. Probably because most people don't want the service anyway.

 

[dmccarty]

...
I just don't understand how most developed Asian countries can deliver speeds that are unheard of in the US, with no data caps, working with the same technology we have here. Same in Europe. Even in the Third World, they build the infrastructure ONCE with heavy gummint subsidy or even outright ownership, and service is state-of-the-art.

...

When I was in China, the Internet service was horrible, much worse than at home and our home service is 1.5 down and .75 up.

Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan are itty bitty countries with large populations which means high density populations. They don't have to run many lines to find a bunch of customers so they have less expense running the service and higher revenue on the infrastructure. Much of Europe is the same way.

Population Density Per Square Kilometer:
China.............145
Japan.............349
Taiwan...........632
S. Korea.........518
Singapore....7,814
Hong Kong...6,897
UK................267
France..........121
Germany........232

USA................35

Later,
Dan

 

[ultrarunner]

Austria is all fiber... even to isolated mountain huts I visited with wood cook stoves and spring water... High Speed Internet with solar panel for power.

Incredible... they made the commitment and started implementing in earnest about 12 years ago... saying it was in the national interest and for the common good.

Also... just about everything is underground... which got me thinking about the California Fires... some are believed to be caused by overhead wires and now an army of utility workers are replacing poles and running overhead wires... the pictures are amazing at just how quick everything was mobilized.

 

[aczlan]

Austria is all fiber... even to isolated mountain huts I visited with wood cook stoves and spring water... High Speed Internet with solar panel for power.

Incredible... they made the commitment and started implementing in earnest about 12 years ago... saying it was in the national interest and for the common good.

And their population density is 104 people per square km (per: Population density (people per sq. km of land area) | Data | Table), almost three times the population density of the US.

Aaron Z

 

[ultrarunner]

^^^ Looks like we need more people to get our density number higher.

Internet... another great American invention embraced by the world.

 

[Oaktree]

Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan are itty bitty countries with large populations which means high density populations. They don't have to run many lines to find a bunch of customers so they have less expense running the service and higher revenue on the infrastructure. Much of Europe is the same way.

Not to mention the fact that in most of these countries the government is the telco. Government inefficiencies aside, this means infrastructure costs and most likely user cost all subsidized by the taxpayers. Since the government owns all the infrastructure they can run cables, fiber, whatever wherever they want without all the red tape private operators have to deal with.

We're really talking apples and oranges here.

 

[k0ua]

Where lies the blame than if not with providers? They are after all providing service, so you claim. I too live in a rural area, I have a land line, 4g when the wind blows right. I even have electricity.

Less than ten miles away there is fiber.

I have more of my neighbors interested in fiber than an entire community serviced by that technology. The "providers" have stated it is not profitable to "service" our area? Why so? They can dig into our pockets for the foreseeable future and gouge us with their 4g data plans. You see, it is more profitable for them.

What in the holy "he77" are you talking about? What does a telco have to do with 4g data plans? The cell data plans are competitors to companies like mine. They give the consumer other choices. I am telling you, IF a telco could bring you service and make a profit doing so, they darn sure would. You mention having fiber 10 miles away.. Do you have any idea how much it would cost to build fiber 10 miles? I did not think so. I don't know how large you community is, but I can tell you it is not large enough to make the build out profitable. Do you have any idea how much it costs to build a fiber fed DSLAM?

Just because you are interested in Fiber has no bearing on anything. AND just because a fiber cable is 10 miles away means nothing. Who owns the fiber? are the extra fibers available? Is it a long haul point to point fiber, not meant for distribution? What is the equipment feeding the fiber? Can DWDM (Dense Wave Division Multiplexing)equipment but put on the fiber if there are no free fibers, and at what cost? Fiber 10 miles away might as well be on the moon. Depending on where you are, fiber cable lay per mile could easily be between $50,000.00 and $75,000.00 per mile.. So IF every thing is ready to go at this 10 mile away fiber, you are looking at a minimum of 500,000.00 dollars not counting the DSLAM itself at a minimum of $500,000.00 dollars Not to mention possible DWDM equipment to add Lamda's to run your new neighborhood DSLAM..

Lets see now, lets let you and your 10 subscriber neighbors pay for this multi million dollar installation at $59.00 per month.. right? You have got to be kidding.

You need to take your conspiracy theories somewhere else.. What is at work here is just good ole business sense. I don't know what business you are in, but I can tell you the profit margins for telco's are razor thin. I am sure what ever business you are or were in, made business decisions every day to provide goods and services to your customers at a loss.

 

[riptides]

What in the holy "he77" are you talking about? .....

I am both very aware of the costs and ownerships of the various infrastructures around me. I am also in tune with both my local government and businesses within the immediate area that can utilize HSI services IF they were to be built out.

If you care to read carefully what I said, I am inferring that the infrastructure providers, in my case one in particular, has control and ownership of particular HSI services within my immediate area. They choose not to build out a particular type of service because another type is already within the area and in their business view is more profitable than upgrading or build out to next-gen infrastructure.

I am sure you have heard the term "last-mile"? Well, my county and neighborhood clearly falls within this segment.

I hope that clears it up for you.