While the COVID-19 pandemic spurred significant progress in expanding rural home internet access, these gains are proving temporary as resources dwindle.
As an IT technician, all I am thinking is “well, just use a cable instead”.
Unfortunately I can’t see the article, it won’t load for me, but based on the comments, it seems to US ISPs that are needlessly messing up.
Here in Sweden I have read stories about how farmers have set up their own ISPs for their communities, or failing that hired an ISP to provide a connection while they dug and pulled fiber to their own home. Do you know if this has happened in the US?
The IT tech joke is that it’s not “Wi-Fi access”, it’s “internet access”. Wi-Fi is a tool to link devices together wirelessly on short distances, the internet is for long distances. It’s annoying to see that the press conflates the two.
You still need a cable connection (or sg like Starlink) to your house and router to have internet access through your Wi-Fi at home.
This is what happens when idiots write articles with 0 understanding of what they’re writing about…all while having literally humans entire knowledge base at the same machine they’re publishing their documents on.
What if the farmer did the work themselves, here it is quite common to have some earthwork equipment if you are a farmer, so that should reduce the cost a bit
It’s not an issue where they have a drop at the end of your property and you just need to trench it to your home. They don’t have service anywhere close to you. A farmer wouldn’t be able to navigate the permits to dig up a bunch of land owned by people and local government or strong wires across.
Wouldn’t be the first time some folks out in the wild spaces found ways to make it happen though. A bit more a trick when you have considerations like maximum distance runs for cables and such, but not impossible.
Not missing just saying it wouldn’t be the first time people in the wilds took things into their own hands to fix a problem.
Also though, ‘somebody’ has to take the extra lengths and costs, a company, tax pool, individuals, etc. Unless they’re hiding some crazy mutated spiders that spin Ethernet cables out their rear someone has to put up the time and cash for the infrastructure.
As an IT technician, all I am thinking is “well, just use a cable instead”.
Unfortunately I can’t see the article, it won’t load for me, but based on the comments, it seems to US ISPs that are needlessly messing up.
Here in Sweden I have read stories about how farmers have set up their own ISPs for their communities, or failing that hired an ISP to provide a connection while they dug and pulled fiber to their own home. Do you know if this has happened in the US?
In many cases, regulations make replacing many utilities, like internet and power, prohibitively expensive.
It’s one of the few regulations conservatives (usually) enjoy.
In rural US getting a cable dropped could cost more than a new car.
regulations allow a cable provider to underserve areas that have cellular access to the internet, even if it’s slow and expensive.
Starlink is sometimes the only option for folks and it’s $120/mo. This is a high expense for many families.
The IT tech joke is that it’s not “Wi-Fi access”, it’s “internet access”. Wi-Fi is a tool to link devices together wirelessly on short distances, the internet is for long distances. It’s annoying to see that the press conflates the two.
You still need a cable connection (or sg like Starlink) to your house and router to have internet access through your Wi-Fi at home.
This is what happens when idiots write articles with 0 understanding of what they’re writing about…all while having literally humans entire knowledge base at the same machine they’re publishing their documents on.
What if the farmer did the work themselves, here it is quite common to have some earthwork equipment if you are a farmer, so that should reduce the cost a bit
Rural does not mean farmers.
It’s not an issue where they have a drop at the end of your property and you just need to trench it to your home. They don’t have service anywhere close to you. A farmer wouldn’t be able to navigate the permits to dig up a bunch of land owned by people and local government or strong wires across.
That’s fair, I didn’t consider that not everyone is a farmer.
…is that you, dad?
Wouldn’t be the first time some folks out in the wild spaces found ways to make it happen though. A bit more a trick when you have considerations like maximum distance runs for cables and such, but not impossible.
https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/barbed-wire-telephone-lines-homesteaders-prairie-america-history
You’re missing the point. No one should need to go to any extra lengths or cost to get internet access.
Not missing just saying it wouldn’t be the first time people in the wilds took things into their own hands to fix a problem.
Also though, ‘somebody’ has to take the extra lengths and costs, a company, tax pool, individuals, etc. Unless they’re hiding some crazy mutated spiders that spin Ethernet cables out their rear someone has to put up the time and cash for the infrastructure.
I haven’t heard of anybody setting up a private ISP. Afaik our internet space is pretty much owned by ISPs with big pockets