Internet Options - PowerPoint Presentation

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Internet Options

Physical Lines

Copper WireDSLCoaxial cableElectrical linesOptical fiberWirelessSatelliteMobile Carriers5GWi-Fi

Providers:HughesStarryFairpointEC FiberVtelComcastSovernetOthers

Physical communication linesCopper wire (in the form of twisted pairs), as installed and used by telephone companies for voice service,  can be used for Internet transmission.  Called Digital Subscriber Line, or DSL, it's a developing technology.  Reliable bandwidth for a premises depends upon its distance from a hub and the grade of copper twisted pairs.  [Woodstock residents currently experience bandwidths in a range of 750Kbps to 15Mbps.]Coaxial cable and optical fiber can support multiple high bandwidth connectivity to many subscribers. Optical fiber is the current medium of choice, but both can interconnect.  Fiber is capable of supporting 1 Gbps connections and more, and it has a long life. Substantial capital is required up front to install such networks, especially in sparsely populated areas.”DSL advances in Vermont include Fairpoint: (1) using all four wires going to a premises that will double existing speeds (bonded DSL); and (2) extending its hub structure to many smaller hubs in very close proximity to premises clusters (G Fast) that would provide very high bandwidth.  [Bonded DSL requires existing hub upgrades; G Fast would require many new hubs in Woodstock and is prohibitively expensive in rural areas.]Electrical power lines are capable of carrying digital data, and are used for doing so in special situations.  [Internet packets do not survive going through transformers.]    

Wireless communication[There is an inherent tradeoff in terrestrial wireless communication.  The higher the bandwidth, the greater the range, and the more the need for unobstructed point to point vision and the less the ability to penetrate solid objects.]Satellite communication, offered by Hughes, requires an earth based receiving station.  Oubound traffic from the premises is generally routed via land to the Internet.  [A relatively slow/expensive option, difficult to scale, even for moderate bandwidths.]Mobile (cellular) digital carriers, e.g. AT&T and Verizon, offer fourth generation, or 4G, offers Internet access.  Apps on smart phones use the Internet to connect to services.  [Bandwidth can be quite satisfactory but depends upon aggregate use per tower.  Costs are high, based upon data uploaded and downloaded, and are fully paid by the user.  Cell phone coverage is poor in much of Woodstock.] 5G, or fifth generation cellular services are coming out of the laboratory and offer significant improvement over 4G bandwidth.  Initial experience is now being collected.  [Deployment is still several years out, and will require considerable investment by mobile carriers.]Wi-Fi, commonly used in homes and offices today, has bandwidths of up to 50Mbps.   Wireless Woodstock is based upon a small chain of Wi-Fi access points in the central business district.   [Inexpensive, off the shelf, quite a limited range of about 500 feel, needs to be connected to the Internet, generally by fiber.  Able to penetrate some but not all walls.]Other wireless protocols exist but are specialized and are technically and/or economically unsuitable for rural areas with Woodstock's topography. 

1,800+ homes in Woodstock

Broadband Subcommittee—No good options available currentlySlide2

Physical lines

- Coller Wire- Coaxial cable- Optical fiber- Electrical lines

Wireless- Satellite- Mobile carriers- Wi-Fi