Internet

Don't get me wrong; we are pleased to have Internet access here in the boonies. Our concern was the limited number of computers or lines to plug into our laptops. Also, download speeds were abysmal (5 Kbps) at most times. So, we contacted a bunch of satellite Internet providers and one responded. As a result, on October 1, their techs showed up and set up the 6 foot satellite dish you see here. Due to reprogramming, they had to return the next day to finish the job. We had 20 people sign up and share the cost, so it was a reasonable rate, about $65/month each. We got every subscriber signed on but then noticed terrible speeds and frequent disconnects. We determined that we were not getting the 1 Mbps speed we expected. The company then explained an obscure code in the contract indicated that we were sharing our bandwidth with 20 other DISHES, so our share was average of 50 K for our 20 subscribers. We could have our full expected bandwith if we paid 10 times as much. Long story short, they are removing the dish tomorrow and we get our refund.

So, back to using the Internet provided by the base. We'll keep looking. We have been promised an upgrade of the "free" service provided here and so it will be a bit better. I miss my blazing fast modem at home. I won't be able to download audio books while here. I am able to Skype and am glad for that free way to talk to my family. If any of y'all would like to do that, download Skype at skype.com and do a last name search for me.