 
chadrob30
American Legion Rider
Premium
join:2002-04-24
Fort Smith, AR | FIOS.... Well there is a town a few miles from here that is getting FIOS right now, I believe it's 30/30 symetrical, so it's not a total bust, yet. | |
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N10Cities
Is it quittin' time yet?
join:2002-05-07
Lavaca, AR
clubs:
 ·World Lynx
 ·Cox HSI
edit:
August 26th, @03:20PM
| said by chadrob30  :Well there is a town a few miles from here that is getting FIOS right now, I believe it's 30/30 symetrical, so it's not a total bust, yet. Lavaca, AR has FTTH (they're not getting it, but got it - I believe deployment is finished), but unfortunately not 30/30 speeds. Right now their highest speeds offered are 5/2, still not up to cable as far as download, but upload is nothing to sneeze at! The link below shows their phone/Internet bundle prices, which I think are not too bad. Especially when we don't even have U-verse offered here (AT&T area surrounding Lavaca). Lavaca has only about 2000 residents, but is rapidly growing.
»www.pinncom.com/modules.php?name···ns1.html
I asked them about possible video offerings, and they are looking at that possibility down the road, but Cox already has service in that area, so I don't think that they are in any hurry to butt heads with Cox yet.
The ILEC is an independent mom & pop phone company called Pinnacle Commmunications. The owners are nice folks and very forward thinking as far as technology and staying current goes...  | |
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chadrob30
American Legion Rider
Premium
join:2002-04-24
Fort Smith, AR | Re: FIOS.... Where did I get 30/30? That may be Sallisaw... | |
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chadrob30
American Legion Rider
Premium
join:2002-04-24
Fort Smith, AR | Re: FIOS.... Yes, it's run by the city.... | |
| rradina
join:2000-08-08
Chesterfield, MO
·Charter Pipeline
 ·Vonage
| How will this help? How will consumer-based, high-speed network access help their economy?
Looking at the population data, Arkansas is 52% urban and 48% rural. I'm not sure what the definition of rural is but I found a site that claimed 75% of the U.S. is urban vs. rural. Frankly I thought this was low but the definition used was cities > 2500 = urban.
I looked at the CO map here on DSL Reports and indeed, there aren't many COs in Arkansas equipped for DSL. There are, however, a lot of COs in the state and it seems logical if all were properly equipped, high speed network access could be made available to a lot of the state. Of course that assumes the COs have enough back haul bandwidth.
Of course Arkansas was part of the former SBC territory (now AT&T) and as a company, I think SBC did not make aggressive moves to rollout DSL, much less fiber.
But again -- my fundamental question remains. Is there a correlation between economic growth and consumer-based, high-speed network access? | |
| | NormanS
Premium,MVM
join:2001-02-14
San Jose, CA
·Pacific Bell - SBC
| Re: How will this help? said by rradina :I looked at the CO map here on DSL Reports and indeed, there aren't many COs in Arkansas equipped for DSL. There are, however, a lot of COs in the state and it seems logical if all were properly equipped, high speed network access could be made available to a lot of the state. Of course that assumes the COs have enough back haul bandwidth. That also assumes that DSLAM equipped COs can reach a lot of the rural customers. Alas, AT&T (which was formerly known as SBC) has recently changed the maximum loop length for which they will provision DSL; to 14,000 feet. Too many truck rolls to support marginal DSL lines.
--
Norman
~Oh Lord, why have you come
~To Konnyu, with the Lion and the Drum | |
| | | rradina
join:2000-08-08
Chesterfield, MO
·Charter Pipeline
·Vonage
| Re: How will this help? Granted. I wasn't claiming 100% penetration.
If we assume an average small town has a population density of 400 people/square mile, a town of less than 2500 people easily fits in under 6 square miles. This means a DSLAM equipped CO should be able to serve most of the folks in the town.
I'm using 2500 since the census data I reviewed listed Arkansas as 48% rural and 2500 seems to be an accepted urban threshold. This means 48% of Arkansas lives in towns 2500. Looking at the quantity of dots on the DSL Reports CO map, many of the small towns seem to have their own CO.
Nothing truly scientific. Just a few cursory observations that lead me to believe AT&T could do a lot to increase high speed access within the state. If the back haul between COs is already there, it doesn't seem like it would be terribly expensive to equip the existing COs with DSLAMs. Obviously if these COs barely have the capacity to carry their voice traffic, then AT&T will have to run fiber to all the COs. This would be quite expensive.
Still wondering what effect this will have on their economy since they are ready to spend public money on consumer broadband with the intent it will help them grow. | |
| | | | NormanS
Premium,MVM
join:2001-02-14
San Jose, CA
·Pacific Bell - SBC
| Re: How will this help? Having lived in a similarly populated region of California, I know that there is more to it than adding a DSLAM. Line conditioning is no small part of the process. AT&T just strung a new 25 pair bundle on our poles within the last two months; part of conditioning the neighborhood for U-Verse. A new VRAD went in, maybe six weeks ago. But the houses in this neighborhood are 42 years old, or more; who knows how old the copper was before this conditioning took place.
The CO where I used to live served, perhaps, 2500 people within the city limits of Wheatland, California; and probably 5,000 more in the surrounding region of southeastern Yuba county, and western Placer county. They could probably reach 2,000 (80% of 2,500) of those within the city limits of Wheatland, and 0 (0%) of those outside the city limits. Probably no more than 25% of the total population of the region. It wouldn't surprise me that they have DSL in Wheatland, now. But certainly not in Sheridan, California, where I used to live on ten acres of flat plains.
OTOH, I don't see how increasing broadband penetration will help the economy. I think somebody has sold the state legislators a "bill of goods".
--
Norman
~Oh Lord, why have you come
~To Konnyu, with the Lion and the Drum | |
| | bigskank
join:2002-06-07
Norman, OK
| I think it does help. Although you don't see the immediate benefits of this (such as businesses rolling into the state), you do begin to see longer term benefits.
For example even after the judicial decision imposing school consolidation, most Arkansas schools, especially in the eastern and southern portions of the state, are very, very rural. They have fairly low budgets. They can't afford good teachers. Having fiber/high speed data connections could allow these schools to set up "video classrooms" with the better funded schools around little rock and northwest arkansas (which is wal-mart country and one of the fastest growing regions in the US). Setting up several video systems like that is far cheaper than paying for more teachers to go to these smaller, rural schools, and represents a chance for kids to get an education.
Second, the construction and maintenance of the network itself creates jobs. It also creates a pool of expertise within the state which can be harvested when, in the hopefully near future, surrounding states (like TN, Ala, Miss, La., etc...) start to expand their networks.
The problem with thinking this will bring in business in the short-term to foster much economic development within arkansas is likely incorrect. WalMart requires all of their vendors to have a base of operations within 50 miles of the walmart home office. This has meant the area surrounding Bentonville (NW Arkansas) has grown like crazy. Odds are, any business moving into the state would go to that area b/c of walmart and because the infrastructure already exists. A fiber network won't cause them to move to the more rural parts of the state. | |
| | | Lance2008
join:2007-08-05
Sherwood, AR | Re: How will this help? All Arkansas Schools are already connected an Internet live via fiber covering the entire state. This project was completed over 7 years ago. | |
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Kiwi
Premium
join:2003-05-26
USA | Re: How will this help? Really! Show me | |
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mtroup
Marty
Premium
join:2007-06-28
Hermitage, AR | I am a Technology Coordinator at Hermitage, AR and we have 2 T1 lines going to DIS (Dept. of Info Sys) but no fiber so I do believe you are very incorrect. | |
| | Goldman
join:2002-06-21
Maumelle, AR
| said by rradina :...my fundamental question remains. Is there a correlation between economic growth and consumer-based, high-speed network access? The correlation is assumed here at DSLR. There is no thought given to education, taxes, bone-headed politicians, and the overall poor state of affairs in Arkansas. | |
| 
rawgerz
In Debt we trust
Premium
join:2004-10-03
Grove City, PA | Can Broadband Bring Arkansas To Life? Probably not, but I imagine NASCAR would | |
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MyEye
The view from here
Premium
join:2004-06-07
Natick, MA | Re: Can Broadband Bring Arkansas To Life? Or "President" Hillary Clinton?  | |
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mtroup
Marty
Premium
join:2007-06-28
Hermitage, AR | Re: Can Broadband Bring Arkansas To Life? lets not joke about that. | |
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Kiwi
Premium
join:2003-05-26
USA
·Aristotle Internet
edit:
August 26th, @03:47PM
| *Wow* Home State Actually the central area of NLR, LR ~The populace is currently around 352,000 - or + a rather poor census count. People could also consider Bryant, Conway and Jacksonville as part of the metropolis, raising the bar considerably.
The problem I suspect related to poor distribution of high end broadband is a lot of the population [Withstanding a FLAMO] are largely PC illiterate (On use) and don't even know if they have DSL or cable, when they do have broadband. Companies don't feel the need in general to support a 'Quiet' group of users or feel threatened by competition, but that does not make the unavailability / low end broadband an acceptable scenario.
There is no fiber.
Aristotle is the only real game in town and that's only because of the fella that manages and supports it. Wireless through Aristotle is an up and going concern if one is in line of sight. Aside that there is NO advancing in this central area.
edit
There are a lot of potential customers if the dang State could get a grip with technology in general. The people who think education is important have not figured out what education means and this system is ten years behind the rest of Country; with respect to PC's, software and broadband, in general.
Late entry:
"Arkansas is ranked 47 out of 50 states for broadband deployment, and recent studies indicate that investment in communications infrastructure in the state falls behind neighboring states, according to the news release."
That's a fair summation..... | |
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supergirl
join:2007-03-20
Pensacola, FL | Re: *Wow* Home State Yeah, but the are ranked #1 in mobile home sales and beer taps! | |
| | | Sammer
join:2005-12-22
Pittsburgh, PA | Re: *Wow* Home State Did you ever hear the joke about how the state's economy improved when Bill Clinton was governor? "The number of homes with two cars up on blocks in the front yard doubled." | |
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Kiwi
Premium
join:2003-05-26
USA | Re: *Wow* Home State That has something to do with broadband? I can take some heat in fun, but it gets a wee bit old when comments have no bearing at all on the issue. | |
| | | | | Sammer
join:2005-12-22
Pittsburgh, PA
edit:
August 26th, @04:28PM
| Re: *Wow* Home State Seriously the example of Pinnacle Communications shows what can happen when the USF money the ILEC receives stays local. With too many of the telcos the money ends up in the pockets of major shareholders who live in places like Palm Beach, FL. The telcos who say the money isn't there to improve broadband penetration are full of crap. | |
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mtroup
Marty
Premium
join:2007-06-28
Hermitage, AR
| hmm.. As far as lines connecting to schools things have definitely improved.. I believe that all schools have one T1 running back to one of 3(I think) NOCs in the state that are ran by DIS.. At my location we have 1 data and 1 video for classes that connect us with the Math and Science school and state colleges for CIV classes.. things are improving but definitely slowly.. My area is an independent telco area and they hold the monopoly but I am working to change that by starting a Wisp..
As far as fiber I believe that Entergy has a fairly extensive fiber network throughout the state however it is not being used for public access and if it is possible I wouldn't know how to go about getting access as there isn't much information about it. | |
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Kiwi
Premium
join:2003-05-26
USA
·Aristotle Internet
| Re: hmm.. Yes, well..To some extent that's true, not to confuse why I posted in the first place though...People don't know what they have; fiber currently is not utilized in the greater Capital City of AR or NLR. BTW do you have a link regarding Entergy?
T1 DSL is not fiber and for one I can't in the most remote sence see why any State or provider would not be yelling from the roof tops if fiber was working. That would be a slam dunk *See* we told you....For the whole blasted Nation!
There are some serious WIFI hot spots though. | |
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mtroup
Marty
Premium
join:2007-06-28
Hermitage, AR
edit:
August 26th, @06:33PM
| Re: hmm.. Who said anything about T1 DSL? We have two dedicated T1 copper circuits.. not DSL.. As I said most schools (all i believe) have at least one dedicated T1 circuit that connects back to the state DIS core which provides all internet access for schools and government agencies within the state..
I live in a very rural town and we are fully connected via fiber within our exchange from the CO to the Remotes.. our telco has DSLAMs in the remotes and can provide service out to 7mi utilizing smart coils.. but there are still areas that are in bad shape.. for instance in Warren.. SBC or ATT now will only go 2mi from the CO for DSL..
I fully understand the difference between fiber and DSL and I'm not sure how you were able to infer that I do not.. | |
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mtroup
Marty
Premium
join:2007-06-28
Hermitage, AR
| »www.entergy.com/News_Room/newsre···R_ID=923
quote:
Entergy owns a massive communications network that includes more than 2,000 miles of fiber-optic lines mounted on electricity transmission towers. The Little Rock data center will serve as the hub of that network, capable of processing 10 gigabits of data per second. That’s the equivalent of 16,000 household broadband connections.
Google is your friend. | |
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Kiwi
Premium
join:2003-05-26
USA
·Aristotle Internet
edit:
August 26th, @07:26PM
| Re: hmm.. Actually my response was to Lance2008, so don't fret.
As for fiber, I'll take a gander...so much for the Arkansas communicative process. DSLAMS are owned by AT&T and they are rather biased about who gets what.
So, issue up some speeds, just for the heck of it...Now we are here. Hey anybody and I mean anybody getting decent speeds, more power to them....But, it won't happen in the next five years for general users, be sure of that.
I need to move to Hermitage, a population less than the few square blocks I live in, not your problem...But this looks all messed up to me. Sammer makes a good point!
BTW, using the base principal of education, you think my Daughter, that I pay private tuition for on line school and State tax for education could get a fair deal....................I sincerely doubt it!
Frigging amazing, I do this shit for a living & NOW I'm told someone around here gets a decent connect, for free no less....Are you sure you are not talking about Aristotle, that's private.
This State really is amazing, everything behind closed doors. Offer up until 8th grade on line, then cut them off, give decent bandwidth, under an umbrella of secrecy.
This is too entirely messed up! | |
| 
TigerNutz
Laissez les bons temps rouler
Premium
join:2000-12-23
Lafayette, LA | the whole deal is pretty sad.... considering the state is home to one of the most successful and richest companies on the planet....  | |
| jc100
join:2002-04-10
·RoadRunner Cable
| Arkansas I went there in March. Decided to venture over to West Memphis from Tennessee. It struck me even going maybe 5-10 miles into this state, there is a lot of ruralness. Everyone I asked told me you won't find much there unless you drive to Little Rock, etc. I figured I'd still go and see for myself. From my mini venture into the state, that statement seemed true. Hence, wiring a state like this probably is quite difficult. Personally, the sprint evdo option might be the best one. Build cell towers and wire people that way. It's way cheaper than laying fiber or trying to reach people in far out areas. Cell towers at least cover a large distance on their own. | |
| | ISurfTooMuch
join:2007-04-23
Tuscaloosa, AL
| Re: Arkansas said by jc100 :I went there in March. Decided to venture over to West Memphis from Tennessee. It struck me even going maybe 5-10 miles into this state, there is a lot of ruralness. Everyone I asked told me you won't find much there unless you drive to Little Rock, etc. I figured I'd still go and see for myself. From my mini venture into the state, that statement seemed true. Hence, wiring a state like this probably is quite difficult. Personally, the sprint evdo option might be the best one. Build cell towers and wire people that way. It's way cheaper than laying fiber or trying to reach people in far out areas. Cell towers at least cover a large distance on their own. I lived in western Arkansas for a couple of years, and, yes, the part of the state you saw was quite rural...and pretty ugly as well. Little Rock isn't much to look at, either. Western and northwestern Arkansas is another story, however. Fort Smith is a nice little city that has both Southern and Western influences. And the Fayetteville metro area is exploding in terms of population. And to tie this area back to the rest of Arkansas, since the state is so rural, this area has to be quite self sufficient, since larger cities are a good distance away, so there are more businesses there than you'd find in comparable cities closer to large metro areas. Also, residents in Fort Smith are more likely to travel to Tulsa or OKC than to Little Rock if they want to visit a large city.
And I didn't even mention the Ozarks in terms of sheer beauty.
If you get another chance to visit this area, check out that side of Arkansas. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised. | |
| | | jc100
join:2002-04-10
·RoadRunner Cable
| Re: Arkansas I imagine the Ozarks are real nice. I ended up in Memphis, TN by taking a 600 mile road trip. Decided to go somewhere on some time off I had, and ventured there with a friend. It was interesting to see, for good and bad. There's a lot of history in Memphis, but the poverty is quite high too. As for my venture into West Memphis, I imagine people there probably venture to TN if they want to do anything. You seem to validate my point, when saying that part of Arkansas is rural. I got that feeling myself, which isn't a bad thing. Some people love that openness and lack of density. However, it makes it difficult to serve them on the "luxuries" like broadband, etc.
General ?. How far are the Ozarks from that side of Arkansas? I imagine a few hours. I guess I had the energy at the time, I would have gone further. Yet, I figured since it was me doing the driving (friend didnt have a license), anywhere I went, I'd had to get back. If I make it out to that area again, and the Ozarks aren't too far away, I might genuinely check them out. | |
| | | | ISurfTooMuch
join:2007-04-23
Tuscaloosa, AL
| Re: Arkansas The Ozarks cover a pretty large area, so the distance you can travel can vary greatly depending on where you want to go, but a couple of hours will get you to parts of them. If that's something you're interested in, Google Arkansas' tourism site and get them to mail you an information packet. That should give you some ideas of places to visit.
As for broadband, when I was there and working for an ISP (2000-2001), getting connected with either DSL or a commercial line was either easy or tricky, depending on where you lived. At the time, there were three telcos serving various parts of the state: SBC, Alltel, and GTE. If you lived in a SBC area, you could get Frame Relay or a point-to-point circuit pretty much anywhere, and DSL was rolling out in the larger cities. However, Alltel and GTE areas were another story. One of these companies (I forget which) would sell you one of two circuits: a 56k line or a full T-1, with nothing in between. Naturally, it was hard to make a sale to many folks in non-SBC areas unless they really needed access very badly. As for DSL, forget it. Toward the end of 2000, when Verizon was born, it had to divest the GTE areas to CenturyTel, and I believe Windstream has the Alltel areas now. I have no idea how these areas have fared in the last few years, but, if CenturyTel's wireless service history is any indication, I'd hate to live in them. | |
| 
CommieCowboy
@startek.com
| hahaha...Like it'll ever happen. How can a state led by a pardon-happy, semi-literate peon who can't even comprehend and accept century-old scientific facts to appreciate the intricacy of modern telecommunications and its role in our lives. I'm glad to live in a country where nobody as ignorant as Mike Huckabee has political power. | |
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mtroup
Marty
Premium
join:2007-06-28
Hermitage, AR | Re: hahaha...Like it'll ever happen. wow.. the sheer intelligence of this post amazes me.. although I am a fan of Huckabee it should be noted that he is no longer in office.. | |
| 
inteller
Sociopaths always win.
join:2003-12-08
Tulsa, OK | Well, when you have losers like... CenturyTel and Windstream with over half the telco territory in the state, you are going to be way behind on the broadband curve.
--
"WHEN THE LAUGH TRACK STARTS THEN THE FUN STARTS!" | |
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ShadowMastr
Master Of All Shadows
join:2001-09-01
Melbourne, AR
·CenturyTel Inc.
| Re: Well, when you have losers like... In the northern part of Arkansas where I live, it is either CenturyTel, or a 1 town phone company. Too bad for me I have CenturyTel, which does offer DSL, but of course not as far away from town as I am.
My friends in Mountain View, AR 20 miles away, enjoy DSL from their Mountain View Telephone Company. And they have cable for TV, but not internet. Yes, it's only 1.5 dsl, at best... but beats my 48k dialup connection.
And when my buddy moved outside the city limits just a tad out of their normal area, what did those friendly folks do?? Since it's a small town, they went and ran him a connection anyway, and he gets faster speeds than when he lived in the town itself.
My friends in Calico Rock AR 15 miles away, enjoy DSL from CenturyTel, a few different speeds even, as well as the cable tv, but not for internet.
For 3 years now, I've enjoyed CenturyTels dialup service, with pretty much no hope of getting DSL extended out here unless something major happens.
I finally got someone to tell me why I can't get dsl when there is a digital switch just up the road a piece as the phone installer told me when he hooked me up.
The CO needs to be totally refitted before that can even happen, and we're on the list to be notified first when that happens...... Needless to say, I've stopped holding my breath about 2 years ago.
We rank 47th as a state in deployment?? Yay us! Who are the 3 states in worse shape than Arkansas??? Maybe I can move there and not get a job......
--
Follow Your Bliss -- Joseph Cambell
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travvler
@cox.net | Re: Well, when you have losers like... yeah, I REALLY respect the hold out telcos in North Arkansas. NATCO was stringing ISDN almost almost 20 years ago. I think now they have moved on to fiber (i hope anyways). centurytel is basically serving everyone else outside of the towns. | |
|
RedneckSmiter
@centurytel.net
| Centurytel ADSL I moved near Ft. Smith in 1992 from Southern California. I bought a puter in 1994...got on dialup in October 1996. GTE was phone company which I had numerous problems with and switched to MCI long distance which was a bit better, but ended up with a collection agency after me for years now. Centurytel moved in and I had good speed with their dialup. They finally got ADSL in my area...which at first was 512Down/256Up. A few years ago they finally increased speed to 1.5Down/256Up and when it works,(rolls eyes), it beats the heck out of dialup. I am now on a phone package and can call anywhere in USA at anytime for free, plus the ADSL and a FEW features like call waiting, call waiting ID, caller ID, voice message, etc., but I can't begin to tell you about the hassles I have had with Scenturinesmell. Oh and did I mention how lame Arkansas in general is? ok so I will...DO NOT EVER COME TO ARKANSAS TO LIVE. This place is about as intelligent as a bunch of morons on meth. Oh and southern hospitality?!?...HA !!! I will end my rant here and comment again...cause I can just imagine the feedback. | |
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Can Broadband Bring Arkansas To Life?