Because the infrastructures for cable Internet and DSL are so expensive, many people have not been given the opportunity to have high speed internet in rural areas. In more populated areas the high speed Internet providers gladly bring high speed Internet to the community because they know there is demand for it. Because they have enough customers to cover the costs, Internet Service Providers were able to bring high speed internet to urban areas instead of rural areas.
Why are cable Internet and DSL so expensive?
Though users are charged for the additional installation and the additional equipment that high speed internet requires, the truly expensive part of the process is the copper (fiber optic) line necessary to deliver high speed internet into your home. Cable Internet uses a coaxial cable and DSL uses similar cables used in telephone lines.
The longer the cable the slower the speed
It’s not just the expense of laying the cable that makes high speed internet in rural areas tough to come by. It’s the quality. If the length of the cable is increased, the upload and download speeds will suffer. Additional servers could help to offset those slow speeds, but again, that technology comes with a hefty price tag and running power to servers doesn’t come cheap either.
Do your neighbors have access to high speed Internet but you don’t?
For DSL and cable Internet companies, supply and demand is the driving force for bringing high speed internet in rural areas. Imagine there are only a handful of homes in a 5 mile radius. Your home lies on the border. The cable Internet and DSL companies won’t spend the money to bring you high speed internet because they don’t see a quick enough return on their investment.
High speed Internet options in rural America
There is always the option to dial-up to the Internet by buying a modem. On the other hand, using that dial-up connection will tie up your telephone line and you will have a slow connection speed.
Satellite Internet is the new choice of many people needing high speed Internet in rural areas. Satellite Internet has achieved speeds up to 30 times faster than dial-up and the connection is always on. Meaning, you don’t need to use your home phone line to browse the Internet. All you need to have rural satellite Internet in your home is a clear view of the southern sky.