Everyone wants to live the good life. Some of my family moved into rural America only to find out that “the good life” does not include reliable internet connections. When my family moved into the rural heartland, they had hopes and dreams of staying connected to the world only to find that Cable and DSL services are not available with the exception of dial-up internet in the country.
They called the local internet cable providers only to find out that Cable internet was not available for their location. If this information was not bad enough, they were also informed that if they wanted cable internet connection services that they would have to dish out mega bucks to have the cable lines set up to run into their home. This proved frustrating with their only option being dial-up internet, or so they thought.
Upon hanging up the phone (yes, unbelievably, they had phone service) with the Cable and DSL companies, they smartly walked next door to the neighbors. They knocked on the door and their burly, friendly neighbor answered the door. They began the conversation with “Hello” which was quickly followed up with the question, “What do you utilize for connection to the internet?” This is when they were informed that the neighbor was using technology from a satellite to log on the internet.
The neighbor went on to explain that having internet in the country is not impossible due to satellite technology. They were also informed that this type of technology was great for not being bumped off the internet while chatting with family and friends and most importantly, proved just as fast when downloading pictures and files.
This was a relief because they had just moved in their home in a beautiful rural area and now life began to feel perfect again. They remember searching the area schools, playgrounds and even checking into the crime rate in the area (was very low) but who remembers to ask about connecting to the internet?
The helpful neighbor gave the name and number to a satellite internet service company. They discovered at least one pitfall of living in rural America, and this was connecting to the internet. They never thought that anyone would have issues with connecting to the internet in the country. They tried to call the satellite company from their cell phone but the call was continually being dropped (they did not think about asking about cell phone coverage either).
They picked up their landline and called the satellite company. A friendly and professional person answered on the other end while informing them that satellite internet in the country was available for my family. They were informed of the upfront costs and equipment needed for the installation. This proved to be quite a relief considering they were thinking their only options were dial-up or traveling to the local library.
After asking the company about pricing packages and customer service, they hung up the landline with a sigh of relief. They walked out onto the porch and sat down in the swing. They sat there listening to the birds sing in the trees with the sound of the rolling river nearby on their property. The rural area in which they reside is truly something they have always wanted.
As beautiful as this area is, they could not fathom losing contact with the information highway. This is why the conversation that they had with the satellite internet company was worth it. They now live in a beautiful rural area with the soon and coming amenities of internet technology that combines the best of both worlds. Internet in the country should not prove so difficult. Perhaps at the next community meeting after introducing themselves, they should recommend more advances toward increasing technology in the area. As for the neighbor with the great advice about getting, the internet hooked up? He gets a friendly smile and maybe a cake.
Tags: Internet In The Country, Rural High Speed Internet, rural satellite internet
