| Many residents of rural America are feeling lost in | | | | to cable and incentives like free installation to get |
| the shuffle when it comes to high speed Internet | | | | customers to sign up. |
| access. They keep hearing promises from cable | | | | With rural customers already familiar with satellite |
| companies and phone companies and even local | | | | technology, many of them are now turning to |
| and state municipalities that they are next for high | | | | satellite internet service providers. Satellite internet |
| speed access only to be disappointed and put off. | | | | service is ten times faster than dial-up, so rural |
| So many communities and households are forced | | | | users can surf the net and download files in a |
| to rely on slow dial-up Internet access. | | | | fraction of the time it takes with ordinary dial-up. |
| High speed Internet service providers generally | | | | Just because customers live in rural areas does |
| only offer service to areas where they will make | | | | not mean they are any less in need of high |
| the most money. Investment in broadband | | | | technology. Rural areas support businesses both |
| technology is expensive and rural areas do not | | | | big and small and academic and municipal |
| have enough people to justify the cost. The good | | | | institutions. They all need high speed internet |
| news is that rural residents do not have to wait | | | | access. Businesses be they rural or urban are |
| any longer for high speed Internet access. | | | | increasingly relying on e-commerce as a way to |
| Rural America has been using satellite television | | | | beef up the bottom line. A business can invest all |
| for many years and satellite internet service is an | | | | it wants into its personal hardware and software |
| excellent choice for rural areas in need of high | | | | solutions, but without high speed internet, there is |
| speed internet service. And satellite companies are | | | | a definite competitive gap that needs to be |
| going the extra mile to compete for the rural | | | | addressed. |
| customer, with monthly plans that are comparable | | | | |