Right now, broadband and high-speed internet are only available where the infrastructure is there to support them. But for those living outside of urban areas, they may be left with only the super-slow-motion of dial-up, or options that only the wealthier can afford. These are people who are being left behind, unable to benefit from the telecommunications and information revolution. This creates a digital divide.
According to SpeedMatters.org, “The digital divide leaves a large slice of our citizens without high speed Internet access, and some without Internet access at all. Those who ‘go without’ are left out of the potential advantages of high speed Internet access in areas as diverse as education and health, to civic participation and staying up on the news.”
Recently though, the New York Times reported that one company said they were working with rural electric cooperatives to offer high-speed Internet service, delivered over power lines. The technology has been around for several years, but hasn’t typically been able to offer enough capacity at a low enough price to beat service from cable and phone.
They began deploying Internet service last year with one rural cooperative in Alabama, and this week announced an expansion to include five more cooperatives in Alabama, Indiana, Virginia and Michigan, where 5,000 customers signed up in the first two weeks.
Wireless service is another option for rural areas, but delivery over power lines can overcome hilly terrain or other obstacles that block wireless signals.
The company charges $29.95 a month for service at 256 kilobits per second and $49.95 for 1 megabit per second. Those are far slower speeds than cable and phone companies offer at those prices generally 1 to 3 Mbps, but if those options aren’t available, it’s still much better than dial-up speeds at a maximum of 56 kilobits per second. Clock your internet speed now to see what kind of access you’re enjoying.