On Jun 10, 2011, at 7:43 PM, Jeroen van Aart wrote:
Jay Ashworth wrote:
Even Cracked realizes this: http://www.cracked.com/blog/5-reasons-internet-access-in-america-disaster That can't be good.
<ignorant?>
"up to 10 percent of the country can't even get basic broadband"
I think I saw much larger numbers a few years ago when I read some hype stories about how broadband access in the USA sucks. I am positively surprised the gap has narrowed that much.
I wonder, what's wrong with dialup through ISDN? You get speed that is about the same as low end broadband I'd say. And I think it'd be available at these locations where DSL is not.
To quote http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Broadband_Internet_access#ISDN
"A basic rate ISDN line (known as ISDN-BRI) is an ISDN line with 2 data "bearer" channels (DS0 - 64 kbit/s each). Using ISDN terminal adapters (erroneously called modems), it is possible to bond together 2 or more separate ISDN-BRI lines to reach bandwidths of 256 kbit/s or more. The ISDN channel bonding technology has been used for video conference applications and broadband data transmission."
My low end home DSL connection has similar bandwidth. With regards to the writer's main gripe, if your telecommute work typically consists of ssh sessions and email then even y'olde dialup will do just fine.
</ignorant?>
Try ordering one. If I wanted one here I couldn't order one today. Years ago I had a bonded BRI serving my first server and and it took 3 months to get it working. I am not sure central offices have that capability any more. There was also a distance constraint from the CO (kinda like the distance issue from the DSLAM demark) I have a fishing cabin out in the middle of nowhere and I get broadband via a small ISP that serves via Canopy coresiding on 300 ft cell towers. This provides 1-20Mbps service even when the cell towers only provide Edge Tom