What do you use for broadband internet in rural areas?

[Blake Malkamaki]

Hi Folks,

My dialup is killing me! The fastest I can get is about 26 kbps. No DSL or cable here. The local phone company keeps saying we'll have DSL, but no time frame. It might be early in 08 or years from now.

My choices seem to be Wildblue satellite, HughesNet satellite, or Verizon Wireless modem. All similar priced at around 60-70 bucks a month. And all similar in speed. The satellite requires more initial cost for equipment and installation.

Any suggestions? Anyone had experience with these or something else?

Thanks,
Blake

[Blake Malkamaki]

We finally have broadband! We decided to go with EV-DO broadband from Verizon Wireless. There is no upfront cost and it's $60/month.

The speed is pretty good, though it varies all the time while you're using it. I've hit 1.2 MBps, but it's usually less than half that. Much much faster than what I had though.

Only drawback is it has a 5 GB monthly limit, so I have to watch that, so still can't accept huge downloads.

Blake