High Speed Internet Via Satellite… A Sound Alternative

Here’s a letter about satellite internet sent over by Ray Jackson…

I need not tell your readers how disappointing and inadequate our present high speed internet service is here in San Juan County. At present, cable internet is the only system in place which allows for up to 50megs of download speed, but unfortunately, the service is only available to town residents who have acess to Zito Media.

As you know, Opalco has decided to construct its own broadband network and has begun laying the groundwork to that end. Those who have followed Opalco’s progress are aware of what this entails as well as the cost required not only by the company but also the consumers. And although I agree that there is a need for faster internet, I feel that for many of our residents on the island the ability to have a high speed internet service is available right now through satellite internet.

Broadband satellite has undergone extraordinary changes since it was first introduced some 15 years ago. The days of slow speeds and high prices for mediocre service has been replaced with increased download speeds and data packages starting at $70 .

The broadband satellite service claims to provide up to 12mb download speed and up to 3 mbs upload, yet many of the broadband satellite customers report higher speeds than that. (15 to 30 megs).

The installation of the service is free and the entire process from start to finish is handled locally by Island Satellite and Internet, who at present has over 120 customers covering all of San Juan County.

One of the plans available in our area is called the “evolution plan” which provides unlimited web surfing, emails and online shopping, bill paying etc. Plus an extra 15gb of data to be used for downloading, streaming video and music, and between the hours of 3am and 8am there is no limit on downloading or uploading.

The main point of this letter is to inform the public that there is an alternative to Centurylink DSL right now, and it has been available in San Juan County for over 2 years.

Many of the residents on the islands are just looking to have a consistent and reliable broadband service capable of retrieving emails and all other basic internet services without having to wait all day. Exede satellite internet has proven to do just that. And for a fraction of the cost proposed by Opalco. I have no doubt that eventually San Juan County will have a broadband system in place that will be comparable to the mainland, but until that time arrives the closest thing to a functional system outside the town limits is satellite broadband.

For those who would like more info on the new Exede service look it up on the web at www.exede.com and then call our office at 360-375-7107

The times are changing and the wait for high speed internet is over!

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