Go west young man

Submitted by Rick on March 28, 2006 - 8:26pm.
I visited a couple of customers today who live in a remote part of Western Colorado. Although their homes were less than 20 miles away from Grand Junction, they had no option for high speed Internet other than satellite. Unlike the Eastern United States, broadband Internet is slow to roll out in smaller communities out West.
 
Satellite Internet is an OK option for some people who can't get DSL, cable or wireless high speed, but the cost is prohibitive for many. Installation can cost nearly $500 and monthly charges start at $50. Two major satellite providers areStarband and newcomer Wild Blue.
 
Speeds for satellite Internet fall between basic DSL and slow cable. Much faster than dial-up Internet for sure, but again a little pricey for some, but if you live out west with limited options, it may be the only one you have.
 
The point of my short intro to satellite Internet is to compare two similar appointments I had with the remote customers. For customer #1, he had Wild Blue Internet which we were able to network and share the high speed connection wirelessly with two other computers in the house. And, like DSL and cable, all three computers could use the Internet at the same time and NOT make the phone busy. I was able to update all three computers security software in less than 10 minutes and I was out of there in just over an hour after answering some other questions as well.
 
For customer #2, he had dial-up Internet and needed to have some spyware and viruses removed. It took nearly one hour to update just a few of the programs and I had to instruct him how to finish updating the programs which I estimated would have taken an additional 2 or 3 hours. AND, the entire time we were working on the computer his phone was incapacitated.
 
I truly believe that dial-up Internet users are actually more at risk for Internet problems because it is so much more difficult to keep security software updated.