[Novalug] Rural Internet

[William Sutton]

I have my own Verizon horror story.  Moved to the country, called up 
Comcast to see if they had service there, got laughed at.  Called Verizon, 
was told, "we don't know if we have service there".  Really?  I had a 
Verizon box out in the front yard.  They do a little more digging and then 
(assuming that my NC-area cell number is indicative of where I actually 
live) transferred me to their NC division to hook up telephone service.

Got that somewhat straightened out, and got a work order for phone 
service.  Rep promised to get back to me on whether DSL was available, and 
gave me his extension so I could check back.  Days pass, no word from 
anybody, so I tried to call the extension and got dumped into a generic 
"this number does not exist" bit bucket.  I don't suppose I should expect 
anything more from Verizon.

Went into a Verizon store to straighten things out.  They determine that 
no work order was ever put in, so put in a new work order.  Some days 
later, Verizon tech shows up, looks at the box, and tells me I've already 
been hooked up.  Call back to Verizon, tell them to cancel the line they'd 
hooked up, told they can't do it because there's no record of it.

Went back to the Verizon store, ran through the whole story, with 8x10 
color glossies with circles and arrows and a paragraph on the back of each 
one explaining what it was for.  They figure out that the NC office had 
backdoored the request and clean up the mess.  As I left, the local FiOS 
rep cornered me to see if I wanted FiOS.  Well, yes, as a matter of fact, 
but I'm pretty sure I can only get DSL from Verizon out there.  "Well", 
says he, "Let's take a look anyway."  "OK."  He looked, discovered no FiOS 
service out in the boondocks where I live, said, "Well, if it's a new 
development, give it a year and it probably will."

yeah...compared to Williamsburg, where I live is pretty recent.  It's also 
going on 20-30 years old....

William Sutton

On Thu, 5 Jan 2012, Alex Smith (K4RNT) wrote:

> May want to check broadband.gov to see what other options you have in your area.
>
> On Thu, Jan 5, 2012 at 14:45, Miles D. Oliver <miles.d.oliver at gmail.com> wrote:
>> Thanks for the info but I get 3 times the speed stated in their FAQ with my
>> local WISP.
>>
>> I'm still researching but I can't get any kind of a wired connection to my
>> house ffor any kind of a digital service and I'm not finding much for a
>> Local phone provider that I can use instead of Verizon for my landline phone
>> to try and drop the price of my phone bill.
>>
>> Seems like the only thing I can do to reduce what I pay each month for
>> Internet, Phone, and TV is to 'bundle' my DirecTV account with Verizon.
>>
>> I don't know if I want to give Verizon any 'more' responsibility with my
>> DirecTV too. It was a nightmare when we moved in in 2005 to get the phone
>> hooked up and when we dropped the 2nd line we didn't need anymore they
>> whacked BOTH of them and when I called the tech on the other end couldn't
>> get it straight which one of the 2 numbers was supposed to be active. It
>> literally took 2 of them on the line for more than a 1/2 hour to get it
>> straight. It was one of those 'keystone cops' moments.
>>
>> The WISP has been very reliable but you can tell they oversold and its great
>> in the early morning but stinks when I get home from the office.
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> On Thu, Jan 5, 2012 at 2:29 PM, Beverstock, David M. <dbeverst at nsf.gov>
>> wrote:
>>>
>>> I think I'm coming into the middle of the thread here, hope this isn't way
>>> off base.
>>>
>>> I have friends on cattle ranch in Co that use blue sky,
>>> http://blueskysatelliteinternet.com/ .
>>>
>>> They love it.
>>>
>>> -----Original Message-----
>>> From: novalug-bounces at calypso.tux.org
>>> [mailto:novalug-bounces at calypso.tux.org] On Behalf Of
>>> novalug-request at calypso.tux.org
>>> Sent: Wednesday, January 04, 2012 12:00 PM
>>> To: novalug at calypso.tux.org
>>> Subject: Novalug Digest, Vol 63, Issue 8
>>>
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>>> When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific than
>>> "Re: Contents of Novalug digest..."
>>>
>>>
>>> Today's Topics:
>>>
>>>   1. Re: OT landline phone service,    carriers other than Verizon?
>>>      (Miles D. Oliver)
>>>   2. Re: OY: Google gone bad? (Dave Aronson)
>>>   3. Re: OY: Google gone bad? (Andrew Beals)
>>>   4. Re: OT landline phone service,    carriers other than Verizon?
>>>      (Stephen Cicirelli)
>>>   5. Re: OT landline phone service,    carriers other than Verizon?
>>>      (Stephen Cicirelli)
>>>
>>>
>>> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
>>>
>>> Message: 1
>>> Date: Wed, 4 Jan 2012 08:15:36 -0500
>>> From: "Miles D. Oliver" <miles.d.oliver at gmail.com>
>>> Subject: Re: [Novalug] OT landline phone service,       carriers other
>>> than
>>>        Verizon?
>>> To: Dan Arico <dan_arico at aricosystems.com>
>>> Cc: novalug at calypso.tux.org
>>> Message-ID:
>>>
>>>  <CAJuY=T02KVVfdeP4n8-zu9JfzTL7XUyeVcabf1KPgJMX_xOwOQ at mail.gmail.com>
>>> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8"
>>>
>>> All this is good stuff.   I'm still searching for alternatives and the
>>> more
>>> I understand the better off I'll be in knowing what options I have.
>>>
>>> If I understand what I am seeing right on the electrical poles down the
>>> Cedar Creek Grade (the main road off my subdivision) the nearest anything on
>>> the poles that looks like a cable connection is more than 6 miles up the
>>> road from me.  I'm more than 13K feet from the telephone CO so there will be
>>> NO alternatives to my WISP, DirecTV, and copper for the phone line for the
>>> forseeable future.
>>>
>>> I'm gathering vendors and trying to get the time to investigate. We'd love
>>> a more cost effective solution
>>>
>>> I do appreciate all the input.  We love living far out but it has its
>>> disadvantages like the limited communications options.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> On Tue, Jan 3, 2012 at 8:30 PM, Dan Arico
>>> <dan_arico at aricosystems.com>wrote:
>>>
>>> > > What I would love to see is some real competition in cable the way
>>> > > there is in your phone service. Sure the ILEC owns the wires but you
>>> > > can get lots of competitive service over that same pair once it hits
>>> > > the Central Office. I wonder why they can't do the same with CableTV?
>>> > >
>>> > > Nick
>>> >
>>> > Exclusive franchises.
>>> >
>>> > Dan
>>> >
>>> > --
>>> > One OS to rule them all, One OS to find them, One OS to bring them
>>> > all, and in the Darkness bind them, In the land of Redmond, where the
>>> > Sales Reps lie.
>>> > _______________________________________________
>>> > Novalug mailing list
>>> > Novalug at calypso.tux.org
>>> > http://calypso.tux.org/mailman/listinfo/novalug
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>>>
>>> ------------------------------
>>>
>>> Message: 2
>>> Date: Wed, 4 Jan 2012 10:11:03 -0500
>>> From: Dave Aronson <tux2dave at davearonson.com>
>>> Subject: Re: [Novalug] OY: Google gone bad?
>>> To: Novalug <novalug at calypso.tux.org>
>>> Message-ID:
>>>
>>>  <CAHxKQihUf_tp3pbQhec=QDfTX9qC=wEX-zbngF0R_kdB0nfPng at mail.gmail.com>
>>> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8
>>>
>>> On Wed, Jan 4, 2012 at 02:42, James Ewing Cottrell 3rd
>>> <JECottrell3 at comcast.net> wrote:
>>>
>>> > Google is the Anti-Robert Frost.
>>>
>>> Could be worse.  It could be the (non-anti) Robert Burns ("Searching
>>> instead for /gang aft aglay/.  Click here to search for /don't turn out as
>>> we hoped/").  Or the Charles Dodgson ("Searching instead for /frabjous day
>>> callooh callay/.  Click here to search for /havin a awesum day w00h00/").
>>>
>>> -Dave
>>>
>>> --
>>> Dave Aronson, President, Dave Aronson Software Engineering and Training
>>> Ruby on Rails Freelancing (Northern Virginia, Washington DC, or Remote)
>>> DaveAronson.com, Codosaur.us, Dare2XL.com, & RecruitingRants.com (NEW!)
>>> Specialization is for insects. (Heinlein) - Have Pun, Will Babble! (me)
>>>
>>>
>>> ------------------------------
>>>
>>> Message: 3
>>> Date: Wed, 4 Jan 2012 09:22:58 -0600
>>> From: Andrew Beals <andrew.beals at gmail.com>
>>> Subject: Re: [Novalug] OY: Google gone bad?
>>> To: novalug at calypso.tux.org
>>> Message-ID:
>>>
>>>  <CAJ=kVsKGL6yDb=W0N=xoCaO1fhqw9kBVTLbz=GSU3ETo_YhhoA at mail.gmail.com>
>>> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8"
>>>
>>> On Tue, Jan 3, 2012 at 5:31 PM, Bonnie Dalzell <bdalzell at qis.net> wrote:
>>>
>>> > On Tue, 3 Jan 2012, Jeremy Hoel wrote:
>>> >
>>> >  I didn't know that!  Thank you for sharing.
>>> >>
>>> >> Is there another search engine you moved too or just back to BIG G.
>>> >>
>>> >
>>> > One of the things I have noticed recently is that Google is INSISTING on
>>> > correcting what it thinks are spelling errors before doing a search. It
>>> > used to suggest but search for what you had entered. Since dog
>>> > registered
>>> > names are often spelled in cute or odd mode having the correction forced
>>> > on
>>> > you is a pain.
>>> >
>>> >
>>> And their silent changing from +thisISwhatImeant to "thisISwhatImeant" did
>>> not help matters one bit.
>>>
>>> Even with the + notation about a year ago, Google insisted that it knew
>>> better than I did when I was trying to do a search for +trad.
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>>> ------------------------------
>>>
>>> Message: 4
>>> Date: Wed, 4 Jan 2012 10:26:28 -0500
>>> From: Stephen Cicirelli <scicirelli at gmail.com>
>>> Subject: Re: [Novalug] OT landline phone service,       carriers other
>>> than
>>>        Verizon?
>>> To: Nick Danger <nick at hackermonkey.com>
>>> Cc: novalug at calypso.tux.org
>>> Message-ID:
>>>
>>>  <CAPxQMWkG8nzaxDmarbyoWtDUL5ibnBRSFvKqSNuh+Hd8iKLUKg at mail.gmail.com>
>>> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1
>>>
>>> They CAN, but the FCC said the don't have to, much as they said the
>>> ILEC doesn't have to share fiber lines.  This is supposed to promote
>>> the expansion of high speed network connectivity.  The ILEC is
>>> required to provide wholesale rates to CLECs but it doesn't mean the
>>> CLECs need to play.
>>>
>>> Frankly I don't see why they don't reverse their position on this (OK,
>>> lobbying is probably why) when it has been shown, in the overseas
>>> markets, that sharing the lines promotes greater penetration of high
>>> speed access the allowing exclusive rights.
>>>
>>> Just my two cents, and general irritation.
>>> Stephen
>>>
>>> On Tue, Jan 3, 2012 at 6:05 PM, Nick Danger <nick at hackermonkey.com> wrote:
>>> > On 01/03/2012 05:56 PM, How7 wrote:
>>> >> All this BS...
>>> >> Don't you miss the good old "Phone Company"?
>>> >> One stop shop that has everything... in military grade.
>>> >> I would probably not still be on dialup either.
>>> >
>>> > No, I don't miss the "Ma Bell" at all. One; I wouldn't be employed :-)
>>> > and Two: I doubt any ILEC would have rolled out *DSL service to anyone
>>> > when they could have charged you $$$ for ISDN service. And who knows
>>> > what they would charge for T1/T3 etc etc. Competition, at least it terms
>>> > of pure bandwidth per dollar, has so far been a good thing.
>>> >
>>> > What I would love to see is some real competition in cable the way there
>>> > is in your phone service. Sure the ILEC owns the wires but you can get
>>> > lots of competitive service over that same pair once it hits the Central
>>> > Office. I wonder why they can't do the same with CableTV?
>>> >
>>> > Nick
>>> > _______________________________________________
>>> > Novalug mailing list
>>> > Novalug at calypso.tux.org
>>> > http://calypso.tux.org/mailman/listinfo/novalug
>>>
>>>
>>> ------------------------------
>>>
>>> Message: 5
>>> Date: Wed, 4 Jan 2012 10:27:28 -0500
>>> From: Stephen Cicirelli <scicirelli at gmail.com>
>>> Subject: Re: [Novalug] OT landline phone service,       carriers other
>>> than
>>>        Verizon?
>>> To: Nick Danger <nick at hackermonkey.com>
>>> Cc: novalug at calypso.tux.org
>>> Message-ID:
>>>
>>>  <CAPxQMW=yhUVpuY68SuJe4w3ZbA5PW4Km-Kj+pMTCdSQScn-DHw at mail.gmail.com>
>>> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1
>>>
>>> To clarify, required to provide wholesale rates on copper
>>>
>>> On Wed, Jan 4, 2012 at 10:26 AM, Stephen Cicirelli <scicirelli at gmail.com>
>>> wrote:
>>> > They CAN, but the FCC said the don't have to, much as they said the
>>> > ILEC doesn't have to share fiber lines. ?This is supposed to promote
>>> > the expansion of high speed network connectivity. ?The ILEC is
>>> > required to provide wholesale rates to CLECs but it doesn't mean the
>>> > CLECs need to play.
>>> >
>>> > Frankly I don't see why they don't reverse their position on this (OK,
>>> > lobbying is probably why) when it has been shown, in the overseas
>>> > markets, that sharing the lines promotes greater penetration of high
>>> > speed access the allowing exclusive rights.
>>> >
>>> > Just my two cents, and general irritation.
>>> > Stephen
>>> >
>>> > On Tue, Jan 3, 2012 at 6:05 PM, Nick Danger <nick at hackermonkey.com>
>>> > wrote:
>>> >> On 01/03/2012 05:56 PM, How7 wrote:
>>> >>> All this BS...
>>> >>> Don't you miss the good old "Phone Company"?
>>> >>> One stop shop that has everything... in military grade.
>>> >>> I would probably not still be on dialup either.
>>> >>
>>> >> No, I don't miss the "Ma Bell" at all. One; I wouldn't be employed :-)
>>> >> and Two: I doubt any ILEC would have rolled out *DSL service to anyone
>>> >> when they could have charged you $$$ for ISDN service. And who knows
>>> >> what they would charge for T1/T3 etc etc. Competition, at least it
>>> >> terms
>>> >> of pure bandwidth per dollar, has so far been a good thing.
>>> >>
>>> >> What I would love to see is some real competition in cable the way
>>> >> there
>>> >> is in your phone service. Sure the ILEC owns the wires but you can get
>>> >> lots of competitive service over that same pair once it hits the
>>> >> Central
>>> >> Office. I wonder why they can't do the same with CableTV?
>>> >>
>>> >> Nick
>>> >> _______________________________________________
>>> >> Novalug mailing list
>>> >> Novalug at calypso.tux.org
>>> >> http://calypso.tux.org/mailman/listinfo/novalug
>>>
>>>
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>>
>>
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>
>
>
> -- 
> " ' With the first link, the chain is forged. The first speech
> censured, the first thought forbidden, the first freedom denied,
> chains us all irrevocably.' Those words were uttered by Judge Aaron
> Satie as wisdom and warning... The first time any man's freedom is
> trodden on we’re all damaged." - Jean-Luc Picard, quoting Judge Aaron
> Satie, Star Trek: TNG episode "The Drumhead"
> - Alex Smith (K4RNT)
> - Dulles Technology Corridor (Chantilly/Ashburn/Dulles), Virginia USA
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