High-Speed Internet Infrastructure May Impact West Virginia’s Future Economy

December 14, 2010 By Leave a Comment

When West Virginia received $126 million from a federal grant to build a high-speed Internet infrastructure, it decided to use the funds to extend the current telephone lines. However, this plan has come under attack by Citynet, a local telephone service provider. The company has created a website and is taking out ads to try to rally the residents of the state to pay attention to this issue.

According to Jim Martin, the CEO of Citynet, the state’s decision regarding the high-speed Internet infrastructure may cripple the state for years to come. His belief is that West Virginia needs to use the funds to build a middle-mile solution capable of delivering high-speed connectivity rather than relying on an outdated model.

From the moment Citynet learned about the state’s plan, it has been lobbying for changes. Martin has called the state and asked it to suspend using the grant; however, the state has not responded to the request. Citynet hopes the citizens will join with him to ensure the state uses the funds in a way that better incorporates the government’s plan for them.

Martin backs his support for a middle-mile solution by highlighting the benefits to Internet service, which include better quality, faster connection speeds, and higher capacity at a reduce rate. As a company awarded for bringing Internet solutions to areas with limited connectivity, Citynet may be in the best position to lead this fight.

The state was to use the grant, provided by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, to improve the Internet structure for over 700,000 households and 110,000 businesses. In its application for the grant, the state indicated it would be building a middle-mile infrastructure, which is exactly what Citynet hopes the state will do. However, the state amended it plan to focus on a “last-mile” program, which would benefit a publicly traded phone company, Frontier Communications, hoping to capture most of the business from the endeavor.

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High Speed Internet

December 3, 2010 By Leave a Comment

High Speed Internet

1. High Speed Internet Works

High Speed Internet does work better and faster. Plug into comparison charts to find out which companies offer the fastest and most reliable speeds. Time is money and is a valuable commodity. Taking excessive time to boot, load and download information does not allow for the most productive use of time. Time is what propels us to make better use our work and school time. Working smarter and not harder can pay off.

2. Compare before Purchasing

Taking the time to shop around can save you money. Internet companies rates and quality of service can differ widely. You can find great specials with support around the clock. Nothing is worse than having a deadline when your Internet speed slows out of nowhere. Frustrating especially when you are paying for service. Look for packages that offer more of what you want and less of what you don’t need. Rates change often so get a package that you won’t be locked into for two years. Six months to a year is a good length of time to build a relationship with an Internet company.

3. Take Advantage of Customer Service

Customer Service is there to support you and your Internet service issues. A good agent can walk you through with minimal hassle and get you up and running again rather quickly. It can be frustrating going through automated prompts only to find that your issue is still not resolved. Getting a live agent gives you more flexibility in addressing your concerns.

4. High Speed Internet and the Future

High Speed Internet is here to stay. At least until something bigger and faster is released. We handle so much business on line everything from banking to specialty ingredients for the perfect meal. Much of our lives and information

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Networks East Selected to Expand North Carolina High Speed Internet Network

December 2, 2010 By Leave a Comment
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When you hear that a company receives millions of dollars of stimulus funds, you might think most of it is going to go into the company’s own pockets. But that may not be the case for Networks East, a local North Carolina business that is going to be working to improve high speed Internet access throughout the state. The company will be using $58 million to install the equipment to expand the coverage area for the company so that more people in North Carolina will have access to high speed Internet through satellite.

Currently, a large majority of residents in the state only have access to the Internet via dial-up connections. This negatively affects their ability to use the Internet to its full capacity. The company plans to target underserved areas and defines this as areas where Internet speeds are 768 kilobits per second or slower.

In order to qualify for the grant, the company had to offer customers a one-year price guarantee for the rate. For $39.99 for the first month, the company will install the equipment necessary for a household to tap into the high speed Internet network. The company plans to offer the service until the grant money runs out; however, it anticipates that the funds will be able to help all areas of the state.

Most of the areas that will classify as underserved are rural communities, and many feel the new system will be a boon for the communities. As La Grange’s economic development director, Mark Pope believes having a higher speed Internet connection will help rural residents be more attractive to employers. Some rural residents think it will also help them find newer job opportunities faster.

Regardless of how residents plan to use the connection speed, many think appreciate the grant and the boost in local technology.

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Understanding the Disadvantages of Satellite Internet

October 20, 2010 By Leave a Comment
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Satellite internet is a great option for those that are unable to get internet through other methods. Usually, these are people that live out in the country where internet providers are unable to go. However, before you decide to get satellite internet, it is important that you understand the disadvantages in advance to save yourself a lot of frustration later on.

Price: First, the price of satellite internet can be considerably more than what other internet providers offer. This is because you have to pay for special equipment to be installed. You are also paying for the actual internet service, which is a special convenience since no other internet provider is able to service you.

Time Delay: While satellite internet is much better than dial-up internet service, there is still a bit of a time delay with it. This is natural because of the distance the satellite waves have to travel in order to bring you the information you’re searching for. Generally, the delay is only a few seconds, which isn’t much at all. However, for those that enjoy playing online games, this can be huge. So, be sure you understand the time delay issue if you expect to play an internet game that requires high-speed internet service.

Interference: While any internet service can experience temporary interference, satellite internet is just a little more susceptible to it. This is because it’s a satellite and the satellite has to send waves of information thousands of miles to the satellite home base and back before the website is viewable on your computer screen. So, understand that when you are experiencing bad weather it is quite possible your internet service may be unavailable.

Fair Access Policy: Satellite internet service is subject to the Fair Access Policy, which means that you are limited to the amount of internet bandwidth you can use a day. This is set up to give each satellite internet user the same amount of time online. Therefore, the satellite company can restrict your internet usage. Just be sure you read and understand the Fair Access Policy before subscribing.

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The Benefits of Wireless Internet

October 20, 2010 By Leave a Comment
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As of 2010, the world is a technological planet full of people that rely on the internet to connect with others all over the globe for both their personal and business needs. Not only does the internet help us perform basic functions and job tasks, but it now also helps us get from point A to point B with GPS, play online video games a host of other things as well. Thus, we need the internet to be fast. Wireless internet service does just that.

At first, dial-up internet service was great because it was the only thing we knew. However, times have changed, and thankfully, so has our internet services. We now have the option to get internet through satellite, DSL, cable and also through wireless internet too. Out of the previous four options, wireless internet has some great benefits that the others don’t offer.

Affordability: For the service you are getting, wireless internet is the best option to go with as it costs a lot less than satellite internet. When you compare it to DSL and cable, wireless internet connections have the ability to bring in more information at a faster speed. Usually with DSL, and sometimes even through cable internet providers, you have to pay more for faster broadband speeds.

Speed: Wireless internet service has the ability to provide users with extremely fast service. In fact, wireless internet can bring close to 2 megabytes of data within a second! This is a major deal for those that use the internet for business purposes such as video conferences. It’s also a much needed feature for online gamers as well.

Mobility: The most obvious benefit of wireless internet service is the fact that it allows you to move around and still access it. Some people don’t see the need to be mobile while online, but it is actually a really nice feature to have. It gives you the freedom to take your computer to any room in the house, or even out on the patio!

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The Benefits of Satellite Internet

September 14, 2010 By Leave a Comment
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The most common ways of accessing the internet are through DSL or cable access. Both DSL and cable internet access are great, but there are some remote locations that neither DSL nor cable internet access can reach. Usually these are in rural areas that aren’t highly populated, and normally, the people living in these areas aren’t able to get cable television either. However, they are able to watch television with the help of a satellite dish. Now, they can also use a satellite dish to access the internet too!

The way satellite internet access works is through the installation of a satellite dish on your home and a satellite modem which is hooked up to your computer. When you click on the internet icon to access the internet, a signal is sent from your computer to the modem which then sends it to the satellite. The satellite has to send a signal to the satellite internet provider’s operation center which, in turn, transmits the webpage information back to you. You may not realize it because the transmission all happens within a few seconds, but the satellite is sending signals out to space and back in order to provide you with internet access!

Many people aren’t aware that satellite internet access even exists. This is something that needs to change because satellite internet service has several things to offer people. In fact, there are several benefits provided by satellite internet that other internet providers aren’t able to offer. These are listed below.

-Satellite internet access doesn’t interfere with your cable television service.

-Satellite internet access doesn’t interfere with your telephone service.

-Your cable and telephone lines won’t interfere with the internet connection speed because the connection is brought via satellite and not through the cable or phone lines.

-Satellite internet allows everyone access to the internet, even those in remote locations.

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The Benefits of Going Wireless at the Office

September 5, 2010 By Leave a Comment
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While wireless internet connections are becoming more and more common on the home front, many business owners are still dragging their feet to go wireless at the office. A lot of this has to do with the fact that old habits are hard to break. However, there are many benefits that can come from having an office operating with a wireless internet connection. Below are just a few.

No More Bulky Cords: For many people, the fact that wireless internet eliminates the need for a bunch of unsightly cords is a huge benefit. While it may seem like a small benefit, it really is one of the best benefits of going wireless.

It’s Cheaper: Obviously, when the old networking systems were installed on business computers it cost more. This is because each and every computer required its own set of special cords that had to be specially wired before all the computers could communicate with each other. This cost business owners more because it took longer to install and the business owner also had to pay for all those special cords. With a wireless internet connection the time it takes to install it is much less and there are no extra expenses associated with cords and wires.

Increased Production and Flexibility: The greatest benefit of having a wireless internet connection at the office is the increased production and flexibility it provides employees. Employees will have more flexibility in regards to how they can complete their work, which leads to an increase in work production. For example, an employee can easily take her computer with her into a business conference and send a message to her secretary if she needs a report immediately. This saves both her and those in the meeting time because they don’t have to wait for her to leave the room and walk down the hall to get it from the secretary. Instead, it can be emailed to her within a minute. This convenience isn’t possible without a wireless internet connection.

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Get More from Your Bandwidth

August 20, 2010 By Leave a Comment

There are many situations in which lag can create significant problems. Voice over internet protocol use, video chatting, and gaming are the most common. While the amount of lag you have will often make doing these things either viable or totally impossible, there are still ways you can fine tune your bandwidth use in order to make the lag as marginal as possible. Some of these are tricky, some of them you will need to be cautious about – but all of them have a chance to decrease that threatening ms latency that threatens to disrupt your audio conversations, or lose you your next game of Counter Strike.

Thing #1: Focus Bandwidth

This is a commonly known way to increase your internet oomph, but it’s also the best place to start. Your latency, unless you’re using satellite internet or have a shoddy wireless router, is probably due to a bandwidth issue. If you are using too much compared to how much you have available, lag will happen. Make sure that you don’t have extra computers running internet software during your gaming time, save piracy for afterward, and otherwise reduce the number of devices connecting to your internet.

Thing #2: Reduce System Processes

Your computer isn’t just running your game. In fact, it’s probably running a few dozen processes, which all take their share of computer resources. Maximizing computer resources will, in and of itself, increase your game performance. However, it should be noted that many of these processes also take some small degree of your internet space. Background applications that check for updates, communicate to online servers, or otherwise tap into the power of the internet, all have the potential to slow you down. Close as many as you can, either using the extended services panel or MSConfig startup options for your computer. NOTE: Don’t do this if you’re clueless as to what you’re doing.

Thing #3: Disable Your Antivirus

ONLY do this if you are confident in your ability to protect your computer, and you understand the risks. Understanding that, your antivirus is one of the biggest bandwidth drains running in your background.

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What is Latency Exactly?

August 13, 2010 By Leave a Comment
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Latency, more commonly known as “lag,” is the worst enemy of PC gamers worldwide. It can also interfere with accessing websites, using real time internet services, and provide general annoyance worse than hairballs in your spaghetti. Most people know that internet latency is this bad, but these people frequently aren’t aware of the exact definition of latency. So, what is latency, and what causes it?

What is latency?

Latency is the delay between sending a request to your internet network and receiving a response. It covers a huge variety of potential kinds of delays related to hardware and internet service. “Low latency” is the qualification given to a network with minimal delays, but can vary greatly in actual technical abilities. Latency is measured in milliseconds, and what is “bad” or “good” latency will vary dependent on your activity. For internet gamers and real-time application users, a latency of less than a hundred ms is generally required. For many others, a latency of 200 to 800 is acceptable.

What isn’t latency?

It is important to clarify that latency is not the same thing as bandwidth. Bandwidth is the amount of data that you can transfer at a time from your internet service provider. As such, slow download rates, page load times, and internet streaming are not due to latency, but bandwidth issues, in almost all cases.

What causes latency?

There are many different sources of latency, but they all have to do with not receiving or sending data to your internet service provider as quickly as possible. The first major cause is computer based. If your computer doesn’t have up to date hardware, software, or firmware, you may be bottlenecking your internet access on your computer. The second major cause is home hardware based. If you have an out of date router or modem, a wireless connection from a long distance away or that has to deal with large amounts of interference, you will be creating additional unnecessary delays. The third major cause is service based. Some cheap internet providers have latency issues, and some internet types, like satellite internet, come with built in high latency.

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