Update on Internet Connectivity




So far, since my first internet article, I’m still without internet service. There is a library in my neighborhood. I use its internet to get online. The couple that runs the library, Liz and Tom Moore, are elderly and Tom is in a wheelchair, so basically, I'm their only customer. The handyman that works for them lets me in Monday through Friday. When they built the library, they were able to run it regularly. I am so grateful that they have granted use of the library to me.

Yesterday, August 30, 2016, on the CBS national morning news program, 2 segments aired at 8:30 A.M. and 8:35 A.M., regarding the link between internet access to poverty and education for children, respectively. The segment on poverty filled my heart big-time with acknowledgment. The segment on education stirred more motivation for my endeavor to provide decent, affordable internet in my neighborhood.


Rise Broadband can’t achieve Line of Sight (LOS) on my property. Broadband means wireless. Many areas around Lake Texoma figure into what is called Non-Line of Sight (NLOS). Frontier supplies my neighborhood with ADSL. After Rise failed, Frontier said they could give me internet service and processed an order for me. On the day they were to install service, I waited at home in the four-hour window Frontier assigned to me. Two hours into my wait, I called them to make sure they were on their way and I was told that I was still on their schedule. After four hours, no techs showed up.


I called customer service at that point. Their representative told me that they could not give me internet service because they have no available ports. To define what this means, I will turn this issue over to Graham Jones, an engineer in wireless technology who lives in Sherwood Shores and who volunteered to help me in my drive to obtain internet for my neighborhood, to explain our situation in Texomaland:


“With Frontier, formerly Verizon, it costs between $10,000 and $60,000 per mile to install fiber optic systems. Frontier uses ADSL in my neighborhood. The upload and download speed depends on how close you live to their Central Office (CO) in your area. The further away you are, the slower your internet speed is. Wireless is usually faster. Frontier is going to VDSL in other parts of the country that allow speeds of up to 50 Mbps (again depending on the distance from the CO).


The FCC defines high-speed internet as 25 megabits per second. We can’t get wireless service in many Texoma communities because carriers are using equipment that requires a line of sight path between their antenna and the homeowner. The problems around Lake Texoma with wireless internet service providers or WISPs are mature trees, hills, and valleys, which prevent WISPs from acquiring more customers. Unless each house has an antenna, pole, or tower taller than the trees, the line of sight from the user to the WISP towers cannot be established. Wireless service offers the highest affordable speed at this time. If they used Non-Line of Sight equipment (NLOS), they could serve more homes.”


Shout out to Graham Jones!


Last November to May, when I paid $170.00 a month to a cable company for internet, I could have afforded to use Exede, a satellite service, or Frontier. In February, when my cable service began experiencing serious outages, I could only work two weeks a month and began living in poverty. That’s when I couldn’t guarantee clients or writing agencies that I could meet deadlines. Exede will supply my monthly service for the same as Frontier, but it’s satellite, and their installation fee is $99.00. I cannot afford either any longer.


If I do pay for installation from Frontier to supply more ports to Sherwood Shores, Graham told me that solution would downgrade their system already in place, which defeats my purpose. I made a second application to Frontier to supply my internet service. My installation fee is over $200.00, and then monthly service is around $50.00 a month. Frontier’s CO is about two and one-half miles from Sherwood Shores. I guess it’s a good thing I can’t afford the installation fee.


I recently made the decision to apply for grants for a tower somewhere near Sherwood Shores. This will take a very long time, but appears as the best solution for my neighborhood. Graham turned me onto The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) grants to rural communities, which helps communities like mine build towers for internet services and cellular phones. This process is called “datafication”. In the 1930s, the U.S. government supplied rural communities with “electrification”. Think about how much electrification services enriched our farmer’s and rancher’s lives by giving them artificial light at 3:00 am, when their animals needed to be fed or milked, their fields needed tending, or their pastures needed attention.


I haven’t had time to find out if Texas tucked away some money in their general coffer for the same thing. I did hear an alleged rumor that Texas U.S. Senator, Ted Cruz, voted against datafication for rural Texas communities. Informational help also comes from my Texas State Representative, Larry Phillips. My to-do list includes asking Larry Phillip’s aide, Sarah, to investigate Mr. Cruz’ voting record on that particular piece of legislature. Please remember I wrote “alleged”. I speak to her about once a month now, and leave messages for her when I find something new on this hugely complicated endeavor of mine.


Shout out to Sarah Haenes!


I daydreamed for years as a child that I was born a pioneer woman and even wrote elaborate plays for which Bonanza or Gunsmoke producers would have paid handsomely. LOL, that daydream finally came true. I get to experience one more adventure becoming of a Wild West woman!


Now, here’s the poverty element going on with people who could begin an eBay, Esty, or Amazon.com presence if they have internet service, or who need to telecommute, like me. I’m living on faith right now. I have water for one more month. The electric company is working with me to keep my lights on. I have an appointment with TCOG to pay my electric bill. I was approved for food stamps. I don’t appear disabled to the eye if people only see me out and about, but I experience severe back and hip pain. When I am on my feet or moving more than two hours, like doing yard work or spring cleaning my house, I have to stay off of my feet for the next two days. I cannot afford gas for my truck to drive to the library, which is only one mile from my house. Now I must walk there to get online. I believe I will find a walker. I just ran out of gas money for my truck last Friday. I also cannot afford my cell phone service after the 9th of September, nor my trash service.

Today, I’m asking for anyone’s email and mailing addresses that I absolutely must have in order to communicate with them at the library. I’ve never experienced poverty on this level. I can use the library Monday through Friday, so feel free to email me with questions or comments on any of my articles ([email protected])


As Roy Rogers and Dale Evans still say on their big ranch in the hereafter:

Happy Trails to You!


DSL: Digital Subscriber Line
ADSL: Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line
VDSL: Very High Bitrate Digital Subscriber Line

Check out what Mark Zuckerberg says about the link between internet service and poverty:


http://qz.com/541595/zuckerberg-says-the-internet-lifts-people-out-of-poverty-but-is-giving-them-subpar-access/


http://money.cnn.com/2015/09/26/news/mark-zuckerberg-united-nations-poverty-internet/


.




Tell us what you think!

Lake Texoma Email Updates


 

Visit our Lake Texoma Sponsors!

Lake Texoma on Social Media

 
       

Lake Texoma Current Weather Alerts

There are no active watches, warnings or advisories.

 

Lake Texoma Weather Forecast

Friday

Mostly Cloudy

Hi: 71

Friday Night

Partly Cloudy

Lo: 60

Saturday

Mostly Cloudy

Hi: 74

Saturday Night

Mostly Cloudy

Lo: 65

Sunday

Mostly Cloudy

Hi: 75

Sunday Night

Mostly Cloudy

Lo: 68

Monday

Chance Thunderstorms

Hi: 76

Monday Night

Chance Thunderstorms

Lo: 52


Lake Texoma Water Level (last 30 days)


Water Level on 3/28: 615.09 (-1.91)



Lake Texoma

Fishing Report from TPWD (Mar. 27)

GOOD. Water normal stain; 57 degrees; 1.86 feet below pool. Striped bass are good using live shad and cut bait anchored in 45-65 feet of water thumping the boat and running a splasher to get the fish under the boat. Recent rains will have a lot of big female fish up river but look for them on flats and structure with swim baits in 12-25 feet of water. Crappie are good on jigs using electronics to fish brush in the little mineral arm 15-22 feet of water. Also seeing fish in the creeks 2-4 feet of water on brush. Smallmouth or largemouth bass are slow fishing docks and structure with crankbaits and spinnerbaits. Look for SM on gravel beds along the bluffs in 6-12 feet of water. Catfish are slow on cut gizzard shad anchored near the rivers in 5-10 feet of water but starting to see eater size fish coming on ledges and flats in 40-55 feet of water. Report by Jacob Orr, Guaranteed Guide Service Lake Texoma. Striped bass continue to be caught with Alabama rigs or sassy shad targeting ledges and structures in 5-40 feet of water. Some sporadic schooling activity and bird action. Some fish are moving into creeks. The shad spawn should begin as the water near 68 degrees. This runs around six weeks, bringing predator fish shallow and kicks off topwater season. Report by John Blasingame, Adventure Texoma Outdoors.

More Fishing Reports