Broadband Information

Broadband Introduction
Broadband Overview
Digital Subscriber Line (DSL)
Cable Broadband
Wireless Broadband
Satellite Broadband
Fiber-to-the-Home

Broadband Introduction
What is Broadband?
Broadband is an often used term referring to a high bandwidth or carrying capacity of a communications line. To use the water analogy, consider a 3/4 inch pipe as a 'normal' supply line. In that case a 6 inch water main would provide 'broadband' water. In our context it refers to High Speed Internet Access. Having a broadband connection means your web pages will load much faster than they do using your phone line. The FCC definition of broadband is 200 Kbps (.2Mb) in one direction, and advanced broadband is at least 200 Kbps (.2Mb) in both directions.

Why do we need it?
Broadband connections mean instant access to online information, email, instant messaging and other communications services available over the internet. For businesses it means communicating more quickly and more reliably with customers and suppliers. For all of us it means that information can move into and out of our homes and businesses much more efficiently than it does today.

How is it better than using my phone line?
It's ALWAYS ON. No waiting to dial in. And it's faster. In fact up to 25 times faster than a 56K dial up connection. For example, a web page that takes a full minute to load over your modem line will appear in less than 5 seconds using broadband. A large Windows Update such as installing a new Internet Explorer that might take 2 hours with a modem is done in under 15 minutes.

Broadband is often in the same price range as a dial up connection, and it doesn't require a phone line. If your house currently uses a second phone line just for the computer, it can be replaced with broadband and you may actually save a few dollars every month.

For example, the approximate cost of a broadband Internet connection compared to a dial-up connection is:

Broadband Overview
At this point there is not a clear broadband solution for the every town. Below is a general overview of the most common technologies. As each local project progresses, one of these technologies will emerge as the best solution for each area.

• Many different kinds of broadband services are available in different areas. The most common are:
• Cable - Internet via your cable TV service with a special "cable modem". Available only in limited areas of higher population. Cable costs start at about $35 per month. For example, Adelphia Powerlink starts at $43/mo for video cable customers.
• Dedicated Circuit - Lines can be ordered from Verizon or other providers that can be dedicated to Internet access. Nearly any speed desired can be installed but these circuits are quite expensive. For example, a T-1 costs in the $700-$1000 per month range.
• DSL - Digital Subscriber Line that uses an existing telephone line for both broadband and telephone service. While both voice and data can be used simultaneously, the customer must be with 18000 "line" feet (about 3 miles) of the "central office" DSL switching equipment. This means the service area is quite limited especially for rural use. Costs are similar to cable.
• Fixed Wireless - Uses a small antenna, usually at a high point in the center of where service is being delivered, to send and receive Internet signals to and from an antenna at the customer location. Depending on distance and obstacles, the customer antenna may be indoors or outdoors. Costs of small wireless systems in the area range from $30 to $50/month.
• FTTH (Fiber-to-the-Home) - is a new access technology utilizing an optical network architecture optimized for simple, economical delivery of telephony, packet data and video to the home via a single bi-directional fiber optic strand. This will enable towns to facilitate the delivery of current and future video, voice and data services, and is an all-optical alternative to the traditional copper-based feeder, distribution and drop portions of a residential access network.
• Satellite - Sends and receives Internet signals between an earth orbiting satellite and the customer's location. Download speeds are broadband in the 500-1000 kbps range (.5-1 Mb), but uploads are much slower, sometimes only dial-up speeds. Because the satellites are about 23,000 miles above the earth, these systems have long delay times between send / receive and don't work well for online gaming or 2-way voice services. Costs are about $60-$100 per month.
• If dial-up is used the maximum theoretical speed that can be achieved is 56 kbps (kilo bits per second). In actuality, this speed is hardly ever achieved. Many users only get speeds in the 20-40 kbps range due to phone line quality and other issues.
• Broadband Internet offers speeds from a low of 128 kbps up to 1,500 kbps (.128Mb to 1.5Mb) or more with a typical service being in the 384-768 kbps range (.384Mb-.768Mb).
• The 1,500 kbps (1.5mb) speed is available on what's often referred to as a T-1 line.
• A low-end broadband service is about 5-6 times faster than dial-up.
• A "typical" broadband service is about 10-20 times faster than dial-up.
• The speed of broadband vs. dial-up means:
• When viewing websites there is very little, if any, waiting for the web page to load.
• A 1 megabyte image or picture can be downloaded in less than a minute compared to 5-10 minutes on dial-up.
• A 10 megabyte computer software update can be downloaded in less than 10 minutes compared to an hour or more on dial-up.
• Streaming audio or video broadcasts will appear clean and smooth without the dropouts and "jerky" pictures when using dial-up.
• A broadband service provides an always ON connection, so there is never a need to wait for the modem to connect. In addition the connection is never dropped or "lost" because of line noise or someone picking up the phone.
• A telephone line isn't needed as with a dial-up service so an existing line can be made more available or a dedicated phone line for Internet use can be removed.
• Broadband vendors "try" to price their services comparable to what Verizon would charge for DSL service (if it were available). Currently Verizon DSL costs $34.95 a month for residential service and from $59.95 to $234.95 a month for business. There is usually an installation charge also.
• The cost of dial-up service consists of the Internet Service Provider (ISP) cost PLUS the phone charges. An extra phone line dedicated to Internet use costs about $40 a month for residential and $55 a month for business. For all phone lines in our area there is also a Local Measured Service cost which is charged by the number of minutes the phone line is used. These costs vary depending on your calling plan, but can easily total an additional $15-$25 a month. The bottom line is that the cost for dial-up service is greater than just what's paid to the ISP.
• Most computers will work with a broadband service but some older models may not work well. The technology used to connect a computer to the Internet is quite common and widely available.
• A broadband service usually requires a separate modem that connect to the computer via an Ethernet connection. Most newer computers come with an Ethernet Adapter built-in. If necessary, Ethernet can be added to an existing computer relatively inexpensively. Broadband modem prices can vary from less than $100 to over $500, depending on the type of service. Many services include the modem at no extra charge.

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Digital Subscriber Line (DSL)
What is DSL ?
Digital Subscriber Line, or DSL, is a high-speed Internet connection piped into a home or business through the telephone line. DSL delivers Internet access 10 to 100 times the speed of your dial-up modem. This may allow you to do a lot more on the Internet in less time. And you can tap into the Internet's richer multimedia capabilities, such as audio and video.

How does it work?
At your home or business, a DSL modem or router connects to the DSL-powered telephone line. At the other end of the telephone line, DSL-enabling equipment installed at the telephone company's central office (CO) consolidates the data from all the DSL lines in your local area. From here, your data continues over the DSL service provider's network to a facility, where it's handed off to the ISP and on to the Internet.

Benefits
Because DSL keeps your computer connected at all times, you don't have to worry about busy signals, dropped connections, or time limits. You can use the DSL Internet service for as long as you want and as frequently as you want. Downloads that used to hog all your time are much faster. For example, downloading a 10MB file takes 32 minutes using a 56 Kbps modem. Using a 784-Kbps DSL connection, downloading a 10MB file takes less than two minutes. DSL also makes watching video, playing games, and video conferencing a much snappier experience. DSL is available from Verizon in the Burlington metropolitan area and in a few of our larger towns, and many of Vermont's smaller telephone companies have made DSL service available to most of their customers.

Cost
The total price you pay to get DSL service will depend on what service package you choose and the ISP. Consumer DSL service starts as low as $34.95 a month. Business DSL service starts at around $60 a month.

Start-up costs for DSL vary considerably. Some consumer DSL service offerings include free service installation and a free DSL modem in exchange for a one or two year service contract. Other consumer DSL service offerings charge you a start-up fee of $99 to $199. Businesses incur more expensive start-up costs of up to $700 for a DSL router and installation.

DSL equipment is bundled as part of your DSL Internet service, and it comes in two types: a modem and routers. DSL modems are commonly used for consumer DSL service with a single IP address. A DSL modem can be an external Ethernet or USB (Universal Serial Bus) device or an internal PCI (Peripheral Component Interconnect) adapter card. The most popular is the Ethernet modem, which connects to your PC or Mac via a network adapter.

DSL routers are usually bundled as part of a business-class DSL service package. A DSL router connects to your LAN (local area network) and provides are a host of enhanced internetworking features, including NAT (Network Address Translation), DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol) for sharing a DSL connection across multiple computers. They can also include VPN (Virtual Private Networking) and firewall security features.

Flavors of DSL
DSL comes in different flavors but they all do the same thing. The main difference is the speed at which they deliver information to and from your computer. Asymmetric DSL means that the downstream (Internet to PC) speed is higher than the upstream (PC to Internet) speed. Symmetric DSL means that the downstream and upstream speeds are the same.
Most DSL service offered today uses one of these DSL flavors.

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Cable Broadband
What is Cable? Cable Internet is one of the two most common ways of going broadband. It can make your Internet access many times faster than with a conventional dialup modem. Cable Internet works over the same HFC networks that provide cable television service. In HFC (hybrid fiber-coax) networks, coax (TV cable) is used within neighborhoods, and optical fiber connects neighborhoods to central facilities.

How does it work?
Cable Internet works by using TV channel space for data transmission, with certain channels used for downstream transmission, and other channels for upstream transmission. Typically, there is considerably more capacity deployed for downstream transmission than for upstream transmission, which is why many cable Internet providers prohibit types of use that make heavy use of upstream capacity (e.g. servers). The shared nature of cable Internet makes everyone in a given neighborhood suffer if the capacity of that segment is overwhelmed.

Cable Internet is based on transmission between a subscriber cable Modem (which looks like a conventional dialup modem) and a CMTS (cable modem termination system), a relatively large headend box. The range of cable Internet is effectively unlimited, available at any location passed by an appropriate HFC network.

What makes cable Internet better than dialup?
Speed. Typical downstream cable Internet speed is 1,500 Kbps (1.5Mb), roughly 25 to 50 times faster than standard 56-Kbps V.90 (or newer V.92) dialup modems.
Always on. Because it is always connected, cable Internet is more convenient than having to dial up with a conventional modem. In addition, cable Internet doesn't need a telephone line.
Latency. Cable Internet signals have much less transmission delay than do dialup signals. While that difference in delay doesn't make much difference when surfing the Web, it can make a big difference in real-time gaming over the Internet.

Can you get it?
Older cable television systems have to be upgraded to make cable Internet possible, and most of Vermont's cable systems have now been upgraded. If your service is so-called digital cable, then your chances of being able to get cable Internet are good. Contact your cable television company to find out if cable Internet service is available. Note that you may be able to get cable Internet service even if you don't subscribe to cable television.

Where do you get the cable modem?
Cable Internet has embraced a standard known as Docsis (data over cable service interface specification). If your cable Internet provider supports Docsis, then you aren't necessarily stuck getting your cable modem from your provider -- you should be able to purchase your own cable modem from a retail or mail-order reseller. Nevertheless, it is still important to select a cable modem that is supported by your provider -- ask for a list of approved cable modems before making a purchase.

How is cable Internet installed?
Of the two basic types of cable modems, external and internal, external is strongly recommended because it is easier to install and generally avoids driver problems. External modems are further divided into two types of connections to your computer: Ethernet and USB. Although USB is convenient and usually works fairly well, Ethernet tends to be more stable and efficient. USB requires a USB port in your computer, whereas Ethernet requires an Ethernet port. Performing the installation yourself is relatively simple.

Can I share cable Internet service on more than one computer?
Although cable Internet service can be shared by using software (e.g. Microsoft Internet Connection Sharing), the recommended way to share broadband is to obtain a low-cost SOHO router, which is essentially a connection-sharing device. A SOHO router has the additional benefit of providing protection from Internet crackers by using NAT (network address translation) or a firewall (a firewall is designed to block unwanted traffic).

Is cable Internet safe?
Yes and no. You run a significant risk of being victimized by Internet crackers, but you can greatly minimize that risk by taking some simple precautions:
Antivirus. Run good antivirus software and keep it up to date.
Software firewall. Run firewall software on any computer that is connected to the Internet.
File sharing. If you want to share files locally on more than one computer over your own network, a SOHO router is highly recommended. Otherwise, sharing could make you wide open to Internet crackers.

Are all cable Internet providers the same?
Cable Internet increasingly gives you a choice of Internet service providers (ISPs). Quality of service can and does vary widely, even on the same HFC network. Be sure to find out if more than one ISP is available to you, and take the time to compare service offerings and reputations.

• Cable Internet is not limited by distance. Unlike DSL, which is limited to about 17,500 feet from the head end equipment (along the wire, not as the crow flies), cable connection is provided anywhere on a capable cable system. In Vermont, cable is available in more small towns than DSL but often does not extend beyond the main roads or village centers.
• It's easy to buy a cable modem. Cable Internet has evolved considerably from the early days of proprietary systems. The DOCSIS standard now makes it a reasonable proposition for subscribers to buy their own modems, potentially saving money in the long run. Nonetheless, it's still a good idea to choose a cable modem approved by your cable Internet provider. Cable modems are available from electronics retailers and online merchants.
• Open access is coming to cable Internet. While it's still true that you don't get a choice of Internet service on most cable systems, the industry is moving (albeit slowly) to open access, where you'll have a choice of Internet service providers. That's good news for consumers, because choice generally leads to lower prices and better service.

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Wireless Broadband
What is Wireless?
If the most common forms of broadband Internet -- cable, DSL, and satellite -- are unavailable or unappealing in your area, are you out of luck? Maybe not. Fixed terrestrial (as opposed to satellite) wireless, sometimes called wireless, is an umbrella term for a group of newer technologies that are available in some areas.

As with satellite Internet, you need an external antenna.
The antenna is usually quite small, from the size of a deck of cards to about 14.5 inches square. Although it must be mounted with a direct line of sight to the local transceiver, alignment is less critical than for satellite Internet. The necessary electronics are mounted in a separate box located near the antenna or are mounted on the back of the antenna. Connection to the subscriber's computer is by standard category 5 network cable, which carries data as well as power for the electronics.

As with cable Internet, the service is shared.
With DSL, each subscriber has a dedicated connection, but like cable subscribers, wireless subscribers share the capacity of a given transceiver. Hence, it is possible for the service to slow down during periods of high usage if the capacity has been over-subscribed. Nevertheless, wireless performance is usually as good as cable Internet service. Like typical DSL, the service objective is generally 1.5 Mbps down, 128 Kbps up.

It's not really 11 Mbps.
Only one transmitter can be sending at any one time on a given segment served by a given local transceiver. Since data cannot flow in both directions (up and down) at the same time, real throughput is much less than the raw 11 Mbps transmission speed. It's more on the order of about 6 Mbps. Nevertheless, augmented by "fairness" algorithms in the network, that's still enough capacity to provide good service to dozens of typical subscribers on a given segment.

Latency is much better than satellite.
Due to the long round-trip that signals must travel, satellite Internet suffers from very high latency, which can adversely affect certain types of Internet use -- real-time gaming, for example. Wireless has latency ("ping" time) comparable to cable Internet and DSL, typically on the order of 40 ms or less.

Good security
The basic security of IEEE 802.11 networking is based on WEP (wired equivalent privacy). The bad news is that WEP has been shown to be not terribly secure. The good news is that implemented additional security can keep subscribers from snooping the traffic of other subscribers.

Wireless Diagram

A Fixed Wireless Solution - Diagram

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Satellite Broadband
What is Satellite Broadband?
Satellite is two-way, always-on, high-speed Internet service via satellite delivered to homes and offices virtually everywhere in all 50 U.S. states, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

How much does Satellite service cost?
There are a variety of Satellite pricing plans to meet your needs. pricing may vary by retail channel, but is generally comprised of:
-A monthly service fee with term commitment for high-speed Internet access (for as little as $49.99/mo, but generally around $75/mo).
-A one-time equipment fee (includes outdoor equipment for transmitting and receiving Internet traffic).
-A professional installation fee. Installation by a professional Satellite certified installer is usually required.

What operating systems are compatible with satellite modems?
Satellite modems are compatible with operating systems supporting TCP/IP protocol (Windows 98, 98 SE, Me, 2000 Professional, XP and Macintosh OS 9, OS X).

What kind of speed can I expect?
Satellite service is great for customers seeking up to 10 - 20 times faster download speeds (depending on service plan) than dial-up can provide. With Residential service download speeds of up to 500 kbps (.5Mb) (targeted minimum speeds in excess of 150 kbps), downloading a file that used to take 5 minutes with dial-up can now take as little as 30 seconds! Satellite Small Office and Telcommuter services offer up to 1 Mbps download speeds and VPN at dial-up speeds.

A few facts
-As with most broadband services, some satellite providers warn that peak-period Net access can be slower than the estimated speeds. Also, you must have a clear line of sight to the relay satellite. That old oak tree in your yard or that tall building next door could pose a problem. Finally, there's the cost issue. But if the service offers everything you're looking for, who's to say how much is too much?

-Coverage of cable Internet and DSL is increasing rapidly, but there are still many areas where neither is available, particularly rural areas. In these cases, satellite Internet may be an option. Satellites can "broadcast" the Internet directly to homes using the same kind of small-dish antennas used for TVs.

-Certain areas prohibit satellite dish antennas. Although some places in the United States banned or otherwise restricted external antennas, Federal law (Section 207 of the Telecommunications Act of 1996) now prohibits undue restrictions on direct broadcast satellite antennas. For more information, see the Fact Sheet posted on the FCC website.

-Satellite Internet still requires a modem connection. First-generation satellite Internet used the satellite only for downstream transmission (from the Internet to you); you still needed a dial-up modem connection for upstream transmission (from you to the Internet). Although this was workable, it added both cost and complexity. Second-generation satellite Internet systems eliminate the need for the modem by using the satellite for upstream transmission. Such systems have recently become available from StarBand and DirecPC.

-Double-up with satellite TV. StarBand and DirecPC provide a single antenna that can be used for both satellite TV and satellite Internet. In the case of StarBand, the television service is provided by EchoStar's Dish Network. In the case of DirecPC, the combo configuration is called DirecDuo and the TV service is provided by DirecTV.

-Watch out for latency. It takes a long time, in Internet time, for a signal to travel up to a satellite and back down to the ground. This increases latency -- particularly when the satellite is used for upstream as well as downstream transmission (where total latency approaches a full second). Techniques used to minimize the negative effects of increased latency are effective for typical Web browsing, but not for interactive applications such as real-time gaming or remote access.

-Watch out for the "fair access" policies. Satellite Internet is designed for relatively light usage. Heavy usage can cause the system to slow down for all subscribers. DirecPC imposes a "fair access" policy that throttles back your speed if and when your usage is heavier. StarBand doesn't appear to have an equivalent policy, but it's reasonable to expect that StarBand will limit usage as well.

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Fiber-to-the-Home (FTTH)
What is FTTH (Fiber-to-the-Home)?
FTTH (Fiber-to-the-Home) is a new access technology utilizing an optical network architecture optimized for simple, economical delivery of telephony, packet data and video to the home via a single bi-directional fiber optic strand. This will enable towns to facilitate the delivery of current and future video, voice and data services, and is an all-optical alternative to the traditional copper-based feeder, distribution and drop portions of a residential access network. The services provided on this system may be POTS (Plain Old Telephone Service), high-speed Internet access (data) and broadcast video. All three services cold be combined and distributed from an Utility Control Center (UCC) and transmitted to residential customers over a fusion spliced fiber optic network.

While FTTH potentially provides the fastest, most robust broadband service, installing fiber to each home is very expensive, especially in Vermont's rural areas, where houses are widely spread. In areas where Fiber-to-the-Home is not practical, in some locations it may be possible to utilize "deep fiber" or fiber backbones to transmit Internet traffic from a rural town to an Internet Service Provider.

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