We are all familiar with underserved areas in suburban locations being desperate for broadband solutions due to their desolate regions; however, did you ever consider the number of U.S. household farms able to obtain broadband access?
Believe it or not, the number of farms in the U.S. with broadband Internet access is steadily increasing. While dial-up Internet access usage on farms is decreasing, U.S. farm households are instead utilizing technologies like DSL and wireless and satellite ascendant access technologies, according to a recent report.
In fact, according to the USDA Farm Computer Usage and Ownership report, published this month, 62 percent of U.S. farms have Internet access, a figure up from 59 percent in 2009. Thirty-eight percent of those farm households with Internet are connected using DSL broadband technologies. The report also notes that about 20 percent of the farms have some form of wireless broadband Internet access, while about 15 percent have satellite broadband access.
Surprisingly, cable accounts for about 11 percent, a figure that has not grown over the last two years. Furthermore, only 12 percent of farms are currently still using dial-up Internet access, a figure that has dropped an astounding 23 percent from just two years ago in 2009.
With 62 percent of farm households connected in some way, shape or form, farms may no longer be considered in the underserved category; however, you might be asking yourself how exactly they obtain broadband access despite their remote locations.
Actelis (News - Alert) Networks, a global supplier of Ethernet in the First Mile over bonded copper solutions, is well-known for not only providing an array of broadband deployments, but also for remaining the company to count on to provide underserved and unserved areas with broadband solutions.
With its Broadband Accelerators (BBAs), Actelis is able to close the digital divide to provide broadband access to everyone, let alone just easy access locations and underserved ones.
Actelis’ line of BBAs offer an efficient and cost-effective alternative for broadband regardless of a subscriber’s location. As long as a POTS service can be delivered, carriers can deliver broadband to practically anywhere with Acetlis BBAs.
Actelis’ unique BBAs are standards-based and compatible with almost every DSLAM and customer premise equipment (CPE), requiring no changes to the equipment at the central location. With the BBAs, carriers can deliver high-speed broadband service using ADSL, ADSL2, or ADSL2+ to virtually all locations within a carrier's footprint.
Since Actelis’ BBAs are powered from existing POTS infrastructures, the need for batteries, rectifiers and central office equipment is eliminated. The units are also designed in accordance with WEEE directives, making them very environmentally-friendly.
By using the BBAs, carriers have reported increasing the reach of broadband services by more than 50 percent. On typical loops, the rates were boosted by as much as 100 percent, with more than 400 percent improvements on extremely long loops, according to Actelis.
For more information on how to utilize Actelis Networks’ BBA solutions regardless of location, visit the company’s website.
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Stefanie Mosca is a Managing Editor for TMCnet, with a particular focus in wireless technologies as well as mobile and IP communications. She holds a master's degree in journalism from Quinnipiac University and a bachelor's degree in communication from the University of New Haven. To read more of her articles, please visit her columnist page or follow her on Twitter (News - Alert) @stefaniemosca.
Edited by Tammy Wolf