The Internet is an astonishing entity, allowing us to be connected to
every corner of the world in order to communicate, seek out
information, do business, and even have fun. Years ago, our connections
to the Internet were limited to dial-up access, which hogged our home
telephone lines and uploaded and downloaded information at a snail's
pace. Today, though, we have the fortune of being able to connect at
what seems like breakneck speed in comparison with our old 28.8 Kbps
modem, with the arrival of broadband Internet access.
Basically, broadband Internet access provides the user with a high
data-transmission rate Internet connection. Any connection of 256 Kbps
(kilobits per second) is considered broadband Internet. Because of the
high rate of data transference, it is also commonly known as high-speed
Internet. This is ideal for uploading large files including pictures
and music, as well as downloading larger files in a fraction of the
time it used to take with dial-up.
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) identifies broadband
Internet access as 200 kbps in one direction, and advanced broadband
Internet as 200 kbps in both directions (uploading and downloading).
There is not a single standard rate of transmission that has been set
industry wide, however. Therefore the term broadband can mean much
lower transmission speeds, depending on the ISP (Internet Service
Provider). Some ISP's take advantage of this, unfortunately, and
promote slower transmission rates as broadband, unbeknownst to the
customer oftentimes. In addition, because ISP's often allow more
customers to subscribe to their high-speed Internet service that they
can usually handle, the bandwidth that they promote is rarely available.
Right now, there are three basic types of broadband Internet access
available to the general public. The first one, known as DSL, is the
standard broadband technology available. DSL (digital subscriber line)
originated in 1988, when the Internet as a public entity was still in
its infancy. It is still widely available today, mostly through
telephone companies, as that is the technology that is required for DSL.
On the coattails of DSL in broadband Internet popularity is the cable
modem. Cable modems provide comparable data transmission rates to DSL,
though uploading data is usually a bit quicker still with DSL. However,
the advantage of cable modems is that is does not tie up your home
telephone line. Cable modems can also be used to provide telephone
service (VOIP), and more cable companies are jumping on that bandwagon
all the time. Often, though, cable modem service comes at a price.
Cable companies are frequently hesitant to offer broadband Internet
access without the customer subscribing to a certain level of cable
television programming as well. For most people, this isn't usually a
big issue.
One major obstacle of broadband Internet access is that it is often
difficult to provide the service to rural areas, due to technological
constraints. The costs to connect outlying areas is high, therefore the
technology is often slow to reach the regions outside of more densely
populated urban areas. There is a solution, and technology has looked
to the sky to provide yet another means of providing broadband Internet
access to the masses.
Satellite Internet is a newer type of broadband Internet access, and is
ideal for areas where land-based Internet access is not an option (such
as on boats). It is more expensive, but is often the only way of
getting Internet access of any kind in rural areas. The drawback of
Satellite Internet is often the delay problem, due to the signal having
to travel through space to the satellite and back to Earth again. This
problem can be exacerbated because of any number of atmospheric
conditions, from rain to sunspots. Fortunately, it really only affects
those who participate in Internet gaming or use streaming video feeds.
The delay is not really noticeable when using the Internet for email of
other basic Internet services.
Broadband Internet access provides the computer user with a quicker way
to enjoy the Internet. You don't have to tie up your home phone line
anymore to check your email, and you don't have to be cut off from
cyberspace if you have an incoming call. The speed of data transmission
is vastly improved over dial-up Internet, which is a lot less
frustrating when uploading or downloading large files. The best thing
about broadband Internet access is that the cost for service is going
down all the time, thanks to the competition of the various ISP's. By
doing research, you can find the right type of broadband Internet
access to fit your individual needs.
