Point... Click... Wait... Ah, internet service with all the speed of an overweight, elderly turtle that smokes three packs a day. That, unfortunately, is what most of us must endure when we get online. Of course there are a lucky few who have high-speed internet, but most all rural areas in our region have nothing but dial-up service. We’ll spend a few minutes this week talking about the different kinds of high-speed internet service (aka, ‘broadband’) and whether we might actually get them in our area soon. First on the list of technologies is DSL. This is probably the most popular type of high-speed service. It works by sending the internet signal over the existing phone lines into the house. Speed for DSL can be very high for downloads, for example when you view pictures or video on your computer. Upload speeds (like when you send something from your computer, like a picture) on the other hand, can range from mediocre to fair. The biggest limitation of DSL is your distance from the phone company’s central office. The maximum distance for DSL service is 18,000 feet. Phone companies can extend this range, 18,000 feet at a time, by adding new equipment throughout their network. The price to do that compared with the potential revenue from a rural area means that most phone companies don’t want to spend the time and money to install it outside of the immediate area of their office. Next up is cable modem service. This type of service is provided by your TV company and the signal travels over the regular TV cable. Speeds both up and down are extremely fast and the service is quite reliable. Many cable operators can’t afford to risk building in internet service into their network these days since so many people have switched to satellite TV. I’m not knocking satellite TV, I have it myself, just pointing out a fact. We may get it around here, but I’m not holding my breath. BPL (Broadband Over Power lines) is a fascinating technology that could be faster and more reliable than cable. The Kentucky Supreme Court has ruled, however, that utility companies in the Commonwealth can only sell electricity. There is pending legislation in Frankfort to reverse this law—we’ll have to wait and see what happens here. Finally we get to Wi-Max. Aside from having the coolest name of all the rest, this is something we might actually get to see here soon. Wi-Max is high-speed wireless internet and is very fast. Further, it can be relatively inexpensive to install and get going for an operator, thus it seems to be a good fit for providing service to rural areas. Will we ever get high-speed service throughout Breathitt County and the rest of Eastern Kentucky? The answer is most certainly yes. Governor Fletcher has announced the Connect Kentucky initiative to have all homes connected by 2007. Also, my company is working feverishly to be the first to provide high-speed internet service to the area. With the politicians pushing it and companies trying to make it happen, it won’t be long before we’re all surfing at the speed of light. As always, if you have any comments or suggestions please email me at mike@MikeBryant.com.

Mike Bryant has worked as a professional software developer for over ten years. A born entrepreneur, he currently owns Centrant, LLC, a software consulting firm specializing in custom software for small businesses. He currently resides in Jackson, Kentucky with his wife, two kids, and five computers. For more information, please visit MikeBryant.com