Rural Internet is pathetic in most areas. It's nice to see areas like Clatskanie get this type of service. Good for the folks in and close to town, but not so much for those out in the sticks. I was working in a rural area outside of Aumsville a while back and was pleased to see rural users getting fiber to the home. But, I think those areas are exceptions rather than the rule. My sister lives in the hills between Rainier and St. Helens. Century Link has fiber running down the road in front of her house, with vaults periodically along the route. No idea what it is feeding, but it is not getting to the users. They offer DSL, but it rarely exceeds dial-up speeds. She has satellite right now, but the service is spotty, very expensive, and the data caps kill her. Far from adequate for her business she runs from home. She gets a great microwave signal from across the river, but Cascade Networks say they don't serve her road, end of discussion and hang up on us. We still don't know what the answer is. With the up and down terrain, something like the referenced mesh system just wouldn't be practical in her situation.
Still looking for affordable solutions. Michael _______________________________________________ PLUG mailing list PLUG@pdxlinux.org http://lists.pdxlinux.org/mailman/listinfo/plug