MORE POWER TO YOU
WildBlue brings high-speed Internet to rural communities By Jennifer Taylor
In a day and age when keeping pace with the latest technology is a must, what are your options in rural, remote areas? Dial-up Internet service? Not anymore. Today you need high-speed “broadband” Internet service. But a recent report from the e-NC Authority says that five counties in North Carolina still have less than 50 percent access to high-speed Internet service, and 21 other counties have less than 70 percent access. With support from the state’s Touchstone Energy cooperatives, the e-NC Authority works to promote technology-based economic development in these areas. “As technology needs and offerings constantly evolve,” the report says, “North Carolinians will continue to need support systems working to develop broadband networks and the skills to use them. Broadband is clearly related to economic well-being.” Sixty years ago when rural North Carolina lacked electric power, communities formed cooperatives to bring that service to the country. Today, cooperatives are involved in bringing high-speed Internet service to those areas as well. Whether you live in the mountains of Madison County or the agricultural acres of Greene County, high-speed Internet is now available to virtually every home in America through a service known as WildBlue. Working with electric and telephone cooperatives, the National Rural Telecommunications Cooperative (NRTC) installed the first WildBlue service in June 2005. WildBlue delivers broadband satellite Internet service to customers at speeds up to 30 times faster than a dial-up connection. So how does this satellite Internet service work? Similar to satellite television, WildBlue links your home or office to the Internet through a 26-inch satellite dish and small modem. Installation typically takes approximately three hours, and then you are ready to begin surfing the Internet
at broadband speeds. Minimum computer system requirements are needed; however, most computers meet the minimum standards. (See box for information on specific requirements.) A clear view of the southwest sky is necessary to ensure a satellite signal. No phone lines are required. WildBlue customers can use the same Web browsers, pages and e-mail sites that they may have used with dial-up, but at a much higher speed. WildBlue satellite Internet includes email accounts, anti-virus software, newsgroups, Web space for personal Web pages, and free round-the-clock technical support. Download speeds with WildBlue begin at 512 Kbps (kilobits per second) and go up to 1.5 Mbps (megabits per second) depending on package selections. A variety of service packages are offered, including a value plan for $49.95 a month, which includes 512Kbps download speeds and up to 128 Kbps upload speeds. NRTC is one of WildBlue’s major investors along with Liberty Media. NRTC was the exclusive distributor of WildBlue satellite Internet during the first months of service and still serves the majority of subscribers. NRTC represents the advanced telecommunications and information technology interests of more than 1,300 rural utilities and affiliates in 47 states. WildBlue service has made it possible for thousands of people living in rural areas to share digital photos with friends and family over the Internet and facilitates school children with homework and research by allowing them to connect at broadband speeds. Trevor Tuttle, a student in rural Colorado, remarked, “We use high-speed Internet at school all of the time…when we go home, it would take us all night to do the rest of our work because we only had dial-up.” For information and pricing on installation, contact touchnc.net, a Touchstone Energy Partner, at (877) 908-6824. Details about WildBlue are available at www.wildbluenc.net
Compatible operating systems: PC/ Windows: Windows 98SE, ME, 2000 or XP Macintosh: OS 10.2 or higher
Minimum computer system requirements: PC/ Windows: 300 MHz or faster processing speed, minimum 128 MB Random Access Memory (RAM). 100 MB of hard drive space and an Ethernet card are required. Macintosh: 300 MHz or faster processing speed, 128 MB Random Access Memory (RAM). 100 MB of hard drive space and an Ethernet card are required.
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