Any Baltimore City Residents Use Satellite For Internet Only? (Somerset: rental, live)

[Calvert Hall '62]

I assume that the city has all the available ISP options: cable, fiber optics, wireless, etc. and that satellite in the city would be used only by those who bundle phone and/or TV with it. Do you know anyone who uses satellite only for Internet? Satellite for Internet is common of course for rural people who are otherwise limited to dialup.

[seanlax]

They would be absolute idiots if they did. Satellite internet is expensive and horrible. You can get speeds that blow satellite away for like $35/mo from Comcast.

What's interesting about internet in the city is that county actually offers faster internet speed options for most customers. The infrastructure in most of the city just isn't as up-to-date as downtown and the counties. It's a leftover of the discriminatory business practices that telecoms quietly implemented until quite recently.

[Calvert Hall '62]

Originally Posted by seanlax

They would be absolute idiots if they did. Satellite internet is expensive and horrible. You can get speeds that blow satellite away for like $35/mo from Comcast.

What's interesting about internet in the city is that county actually offers faster internet speed options for most customers. The infrastructure in most of the city just isn't as up-to-date as downtown and the counties. It's a leftover of the discriminatory business practices that telecoms quietly implemented until quite recently.

Yeah, I just signed-up for Satellite 18GB monthly for $100 + $9.99 monthly equpt. rental + $100 installation. Didn't really have a choice as the broadband DSL's download speeds have been 50-70 kbps per sec. which is only slightly better than the dialup's 21-49 kbps. I can live -- barely -- with 50-70 but even that has been often down lately. Another option here is a wireless device plugged into a USB port but that yielded me just over 1 mb download and was almost as expensive as satellite.


Cable and fiberoptics won't be here until long after I'm gone, if at all.

[seanlax]

Rural wireless is making massive strides in technology. You might have some formidable options sooner than you think.

Or maybe even now. Check here: Maryland's Broadband: Stats & Figures

[Calvert Hall '62]

Originally Posted by seanlax

Rural wireless is making massive strides in technology. You might have some formidable options sooner than you think.

Or maybe even now. Check here: Maryland's Broadband: Stats & Figures

Those speeds are apparently 4G LTE. Yes, I'd welcome them. Shucks, if the satellite gives me even 5 MBps I'll be ecstatic.

[seanlax]

I'm with ya. It gets very rural very quickly around here, and Somerset/Lower Worcester Counties just welcomed a pretty good wireless ISP to the area. Keep an ear and eye out for it. It has great reviews thus far.