[farmfriend]

This press release doesn't seem to be on the National site yet but I went ahead and linked it anyway.

[farmfriend]

This is the letter being sent to everyone in Congress by the National Grange.

Dear :(Congress person)

The National Grange, the nation's oldest general agricultural and rural public interest organization representing nearly 300,000 Grange members, strongly urges you to vote in favor of the Internet Freedom and Broadband Deployment Act of 2001, H.R. 1542. In 1901, the Grange helped win passage of Rural Free Delivery Mail service. That legislation opened vast new opportunities for communication and commerce for millions of Americans living in our nation’s rural communities. Today, the Grange wants to celebrate that victory by supporting passage of H.R. 1542, legislation that will help bring high speed Internet access to rural America.

Rural Americans deserve access to the same basic public and commercial services that urban Americans enjoy. Advanced telecommunications, such as high speed internet access is one of those services. H.R. 1542 would help address this problem by mandating rapid deployment of high speed internet services by local phone companies to large and small communities alike.

Accelerated broadband deployment will serve rural communities through increased economic development and the realization of services such as distance learning and telemedicine, which are not readily available through limited dial-up (narrowband) Internet technologies.

The root of the problem is the lack of deployment of broadband supporting Internet infrastructure and services to rural areas. Although local telephone companies are well positioned to provide broadband access in rural areas by utilizing existing facilities, they are prohibited from doing so by outdated regulations designed to apply to long distance voice transmissions.

H.R. 1542 will address this problem and spur job creating, nationwide investments in broadband services and facilities throughout underserved rural and low-income areas. At the same time, it will encourage competition in broadband services, while maintaining the competitive structure of voice transmissions.

The National Grange considers the vote by the U.S. House of Representatives on H.R. 1542 to be a Key Vote that will be included in our 2002 voting index measuring individual members’ “Support for Rural America”. Please vote in favor of the Internet Freedom and Broadband Deployment Act of 2001 and help prevent the Information Superhighway from bypassing our rural communities.

Sincerely,

Leroy Watson, Legislative Director
National Grange of the Order of Patrons of Husbandry

[Leroy S. Mort]

The National Grange supports the Tauzin-Dingell Bill because it will break down the regulatory barriers preventing local telephone companies from providing broadband Internet service to their existing rural customers.

I don't see how this is gonna help rural folks much since the phone companies will want to use existing copper lines to provide DSL, and with current technology, DSL is limited to about 5 miles from the Central Telephone switch. They sure aren't gonna want to invest in running fibreoptic to every farmhouse. That leads satellite as the only viable present alternative. It's available now..but at a steep price.

[AlGone2001]

The National Grange is the country’s oldest rural advocacy organization. It was founded in 1867. The Grange has been instrumental in passing legislation benefiting not just farmers, but all rural Americans. It focuses on the basics of rural infrastructure such as health care, education and communications. The Grange has approximately 300,000 individual members affiliated with 3,400 local, county and state Granges throughout 37 states. # # # #

To which political party does the Grange give most of it's handouts at election time?

It doesn't seem a difficult guess.

[Gasshog]

which is commonly called the Tauzin-Dingell Bill.

Shades of Dingell-Norwood...shudder

[loveliberty]

This is a Democratic political issue, first brought to the fore by Bill Clinton and his lackeys.

In North Carolina, former Clinton Chief of Staffer Erskine Bowles returned to NC and set up something called the "Rural Prosperity Task Force" to involve leaders from all across the State to back Clinton's assertion that there was a so-called "digital divide." (What it was is another gimmick to establish a political base)

The fact of the matter is that rural areas in North Carolina already have access to the Internet, and in many remote rural areas, DSL is being provided by the Rural Cooperatives, who have been bringing advanced technologies to rural people since the 1950's.

For more information, visit the web site of www.jsitel.com (a consulting firm to the telecommunications industry), the National Telephone Cooperative Association www.ntca.org, or www.carolinalink.org, a North Carolina coalition of rural cooperatives.

Rural people in some of the most backwoods areas of North Carolina and other states can get DSL, while Verizon customers near Washington, D.C., and other major cities are still waiting.

[68-69TonkinGulfYachtClub]

The only solution I found is 2 way satellite.
I am in a rural area and DSL or Cable will never reach here.
The phone lines are very poor when it rains a lot.
I got starband.net in July and am VERY pleased with it.

[tacticalogic]

Anybody know the command string to get a Hayes modem to dial two longs and a short?

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

Why does it have to be the phone company?
Why not the power company.
All farms need power don't they!

[cruiserman]

I support high speed access to the Internet at my house, too. I want the gov't to tax other people to pay for it.

[VetoBill]

Amazing. The last thing I need now is for another possible easement running across my ground.
Would it be nice to have broadband? Absolutely.
Is it necessary? No.
Many schools are hooked up to broadband, they have computers, etc. If people want to use it for learning, go there.
Broadband for agribusiness? No. I already have a much faster, more reliable source of information... DTN.

[Nataku X]

If you've ever wondered why North Dakota voted Daschle in, while voting Bush for President, this is why. Pork for rural areas.

[Fiddlstix]

BTTT

[Peter W. Kessler]

I'm all for the encouragement of such things as high speed internet connections, etc.

But, if I'm being asked to pay for high speed connections for you while I sit here with my 31200 bps, please bring me a half gallon of milk and some steaks. I assume you will pay for these items.

Thank you.

[VA Advogado]

Grange - National group instrumental in maintaining welfare for farmers?

[Mulder]

Is "The Grange" a cousin of "The Gimp" from Pulp Fiction?

[this_ol_patriot]

High speed rural Internet access is important.
The government doesn't need to be involved.

MT Wirefree, Inc.

Check the coverage map, that area is mostly rural. (That is the only link on the below FAQ that I corrected the rest won't work from here, so you need to go to the above web page to see them.)

This is a list of Frequently Asked Questions about our service. If your question is not answered in the list below, contact us for the answer and maybe we will add it!

How fast is it?
	The radios we use can transfer data at nearly 2 Mbps (million bits per second)! Since the total connection speed will be shared with your neighbor, we will try to make sure your connection stays at least 256 Kbps (thousand bits per second) for uploading and downloading. As we add customers, we will increase the total available bandwidth in order to keep your bandwidth the same.
How much does it cost?
	Residential service is only $50 per month. For business service and other pricing information, see the pricing page.
Can I get it at my location?
	That depends--these radios require a "line of site" to our access point. Basically this means you need to be able to see our antenna from somewhere on your house. However, you will need a site survey to determine whether or not you can receive service since you may just need a short antenna mast to clear an obstacle. Also see our coverage map.
Do I need a phone line?
	Absolutely not! In fact, you don't even have to talk to the phone company to get this connection. You will not ever get busy signals because your kids have been on the Internet for 2 hours. You won't have to wait as your modem screeches on the phone, only to connect at 28.8 Kbps or less--this connection is always on!
What about latency?
	Unlike satellite Internet systems, latency (delay in the signal starting) is not a problem because you are connecting wirelessly to an Access Point that is at most only a few miles away. Satellites are 22,300 miles above the equator, which adds a significant delay to the transmission and reception of Internet data. This means that your online gaming, computer remote control, and even web browsing are much better experiences!
How does it connect it to my computer?
	In most cases, your computer will need to have a USB port to connect. This means we can "plug and play" and not open up your computer to install an internal device. If you have a Mac, decide to use our premium equipment, or require a connection for your network, you will need to have a 10 base T or better network card installed. We can provide this as well if you need it.
What does this antenna look like?
	The antennas vary in size depending on your location. However they are all relatively small panels or parabolic mesh grids for very long distances, most measuring less than 1 square foot. And in case you are wondering, FCC rules prohibit local homeowner associations from disallowing installation of these antennas as well as satellite and conventional television antennas.
What will my email address be?
	Your email address will be yourname@mtwirefree.net.  Reserve your name now by signing up! We can also service any domain name email or web site needs for name@yourcompany.com.
Can I host a web site from my computer?
	Yes! Contact us about a business connection to support this. For your personal web sites, we provide 5 MB of free personal web space on our server. Please help us keep wireless bandwidth available by not hosting web sites on your residential account.
Can I connect my Mac?
	Yes! Although the normal radios we use for residential service do not currently have Mac drivers, we want to provide access for everyone. To do this, we will furnish you with our business class radio at the same price as the residential radio. When drivers for the Mac are released, you will have the option of trading in your radio or keeping the business class radio and paying the price difference.
Can I connect my Linux box?
	Yes! Our residential radios have Linux drivers.
What are the requirements for my computer?
	For a Windows PC, we require Windows 98, Windows Me, Windows 2000, or Windows XP with an available USB slot (for the standard equipment) or Ethernet port (for premium equipment installation). In addition 32 MB of RAM and as much free hard drive space as memory in your computer are also required. For Macs, any System software and an available 10 Base T network connection are required. Linux users should be prepared to perform the installation themselves, as we will only provide the radio and drivers. Users should know how to configure TCP/IP to use DHCP and be familiar with installing drivers for USB devices.
Will I get a static IP?
	IP addresses are normally dynamic; you can get a static IP for an additional charge (see pricing). Contact us if you would like this additional service.
How long until you come to my area?
	That depends--if you can show that there are 6 people interested in our service for your area, we can connect you as a local wireless provider! You would serve as the connection point for your neighbors and receive reduced price service. Otherwise, check back to the web site often as we are expanding rapidly throughout the Southern York County area.
Is your service affected by weather?
	No! Although there is a measurable signal loss in hurricane type rainstorms or fog, your service is not affected because the system is designed with a "fade margin" so the bandwidth delivered by the digital signal is not affected. Remember that your satellite system that occasionally goes out during the rain is receiving a signal through thousands of miles and our signal goes through less than 10 miles.
Can I be a beta tester in my area?
	Sign up now and we will keep your name for when we are expanding to your area. Beta testers receive free installation and use our equipment for free during the test period. Testers are under no obligation to use the service once it becomes available.

 

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© 2001 MT Wirefree, Inc. contact the webmaster with questions or comments about this site Page last modified Sunday December 09, 2001

 

[kansas_goat_roper]

I live in a small community and we do not have cable TV so our alternative is a satellite dish. I have regular phone lines just like 95% of America and I use it for my Internet access. What bothers me the most about this situation is the rhetoric of we have to save rural America. Why? They didn’t save the little mom and pop stores, or the corner sundries and pharmacies. All the rural folks I know go to WalMart.