Ditching Dialup even if you live in a rural area
For way too long people who live in rural areas were forced to use dialup. Your only choice for high speed internet was paying upwards of a few hundred a month for high speed internet access. Cable companies and DSL companies do not provide high speed internet to rural areas because of the high costs to lay cable.
However you are not out of options just yet. Over just the last few years many Satellite providers now offer high speed internet that’s 50 times faster then dialup for as low as 35 bucks. Yes just 35 bucks a month. Now many providers are still closer to 50 bucks a month but still that is a ton lower then in the past. Check out this rural Satellite Internet page for a listing of current providers that serve all of the U.S. The nice thing about satellite internet is it’s always on. You never have to turn it on or dial up to gain internet access. It’s ready when you are.
Besides Satellite access you have two other options
The first is wireless broad band access. All you have to do is install a USB device that is about the size of a human pinkey. Once the device is instaled you can hit the connect button and you are good to go. Wireless broadband internet works in most rural areas but you will need to check with each provider to make sure. These devices use the cell towers so those who can not get good cell service in their area may not be able to use this.
The other one is far less known. It’s known as line of site. The cost is close if not the same as Satellite and the surfing speeds are about the same as well. In a nut shell you install a satellite like dish that conects to a local tower in your area. Many of these towers can reach as far a away as several miles and there may be a few in your area. The best way to find line of site providers is to check your local phone book or ask your neighbor. It can be hard to track one of these providers down but your local phone book can help out big time.
If you are wondering if DSL or cable is coming to your area then simply pick up the phone and call the nearest provider in your area. While most rural areas will not have these types of services available any time soon you might just be one of the lucky ones. Due to recent goverment grants many providers are working on getting access to select rural areas.
