[1st-mile-nm] Article on WISPs

[John Badal]

Richard,

Thanks for this article; we have a few scrappy fixed wireless ISPs in NM as well.  This article also begs the question about the feasibility or even reasonableness of gigabit-driven fiber to the home (FTTH) in smaller rural towns.  Outside of a professional   astronomer with a 20 meter telescopic lens connected digitally to the VLA in Socorro, who in the heck needs a gigabit?  Or, maybe, someone who has outfitted every room in his house as a virtual reality environment similar to the holodeck on the newer version of Star Trek. It should be self evident to those who know something about the cost of building and operating broadband systems that a fiber to the home network in a sparsely populated community, especially one with a preponderance of citizens on a fixed income, that fiber to the home in many rural communities is a waste of resources.  And beyond the ability of a sparsely populated community to sustain.  Fiber to the home, as largely an entertainment oriented delivery system, would have to be supported in rural communities in some fashion by the local, state or federal government.  A bigger question then: Is it good government policy to subsidize a business through state or federal grants or operational support to provide entertainment services?   Fixed wireless really has a place in the rural world and has proven itself to be scalable to meet customers' needs, reliable, and affordable.  Even Google, despite attempts to sell the sizzle of FTTH, has recognized the practicality of fixed wireless.

John

-----Original Message-----
From: 1st-mile-nm [mailto:1st-mile-nm-bounces at mailman.dcn.org] On Behalf Of Richard Lowenberg
Sent: Thursday, September 14, 2017 3:04 PM
To: 1st-mile Nm <1st-mile-nm at mailman.dcn.org>
Subject: [1st-mile-nm] Article on WISPs

BROADBAND ANALYSIS: SCRAPPY WIRELESS ISPS GET THE JOB DONE By Craig Settles September 14, 2017

http://www.dailyyonder.com/broadband-analysis-scrappy-wireless-isps-get-job-done/2017/09/14/21367/

Rural areas don’t need to wait on expensive and hard-to-build fiber-to-the-home networks to start using broadband. In many cases, fixed wireless can provide a fast and affordable last-mile connection in underserved areas. And some communities are building the system themselves.

WISPs – Wireless Internet Service Providers – are the un-song heroes closing the digital divide in rural communities. New technology makes WISPs faster than ever, much more affordable than fiber, and a great option in areas where terrain and population density make wired systems problematic.

(snip)


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Richard Lowenberg, Executive Director
1st-Mile Institute     505-603-5200
Box 8001, Santa Fe, NM 87504,
rl at 1st-mile.org     www.1st-mile.org
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