| The “Real” obstacle to deployment of | | | | talking about. The lines are already there. Every |
| high-speed internet access in rural areas is cost. I | | | | community in this country has some type of |
| can say that because our company provides | | | | phone system that is connected to the greater |
| high-speed wireless internet access in seven small | | | | national grid. But Verizon has a strangle hold on |
| communities and their surrounding areas. The | | | | using that installed infrastructure. Even though |
| services offered in each community are | | | | there are lots of small companies who might be |
| profitable, some more than others, but, still, | | | | willing to provide the services, it is unaffordable. |
| profitable. In any given community from one | | | | Verizon has started to provide DSL service in a |
| quarter to one half of the revenues go to paying | | | | few towns in this area. They picked the biggest |
| for the backend internet access from a Telco, | | | | towns first. Most small communities still have only |
| either Verizon or AT&T. In our area a single T1 | | | | dial-up if they are lucky enough to have a |
| running at 1.54 mbs costs about $700 per month. | | | | provider with a local number for them to use. |
| There are ads online about T1’s for as low as | | | | There are also costs for a Telco like Verizon to |
| $299 but you have to be in a large metro area. I | | | | provide DSL services in a community. But the |
| have been told in Springfield, Il., about 50 miles to | | | | costs are one time equipment costs and not the |
| the east, one can obtain a T1 for about $350 per | | | | ongoing expense of internet backhaul. For a |
| month. So why is ours so high priced. There is | | | | company like Verizon to provide DSL service |
| only one reason. Verizon is the only local phone | | | | across their entire service area the expense |
| company with no competition so they can | | | | would be considerable. So it is understandable why |
| charges as much as the market will bear. There | | | | it is not happening. There are probably lots of |
| are numerous towns we could provide service in | | | | small companies like ours that would like to be |
| where we might wind up with maybe 10 | | | | able to provide high-speed internet access to |
| customers. If I cannot link wirelessly from one of | | | | smaller communities. If, years ago, the |
| our existing facilities to one of these towns then | | | | government had actually wanted broadband in |
| we simply cannot provide service. So those | | | | rural areas, they could have simply told the Telcos |
| people are out of luck. In the past several | | | | to loosen up their hold on bandwidth and help |
| Presidential election cycles one of the clarion calls | | | | those local companies step up to be the local |
| has been to provide high speed internet access in | | | | internet provider. The equipment costs would be |
| rural communities. This pronouncement goes back | | | | spread across numerous small companies and a |
| at least 12 years. So what happened? Most | | | | lot more people in rural areas would have the |
| campaign rhetoric is just that, a bunch of hot air. I | | | | benefit of broadband internet access. |
| recently attended the announcement of one of | | | | Michael Dappert is co-founder of Winco, Inc., a |
| the current Democratic Presidential Candidates | | | | dial-up and Wireless Internet Provider in West |
| and sure enough one of his ideas was “the | | | | Central Illinois since 1996. Anyone can start their |
| laying of broadband lines in rural communities”. | | | | own discussion at If you are a musician you can |
| I do not think he even knows what he was | | | | promote yourself for free at Musicgig.us. |