Internet & Broadband Access What we have and what are our options?

Presented by Butler Smythe

March 19, 2015Updated

Disclaimer: The Information provided is in no way is intended to identify any one (or several) vendors or technologies which are preferred for any application or user. The intent is to clearly identify what is available today and their general capabilities as an average - not as a maximum advertised capability that is not achievable for Maine Connectivity standards. It also does not reflect technological limitations of specific Services impacted by Weather, Lightening, Atmospherics, Trees, Proximity to Electrical Energy, etc.

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The Basics – Why this Presentation• Working as a group for a common solution prevents incompatible

implementations from wasting time, energy and money that could be better directed.

• We want to provide consistent, cost effective and uninterrupted Broadband service to businesses, residents and other users on the Blue Hill Peninsula and Deer Isle.

• We want a Broadband service(s) that meets the current and future growth of the FCC Broadband definition, and as defined by the Connect Maine authority.

• We want to support the needs of the community and ensure its viability and affordability in the future.

BHCoC Broadband Effort

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The Internet & General Terms• The Internet was initially developed in the ’60’s, matured in the ‘80’s and found widespread

use late in the ‘90’s. It is now widely available for personal and business uses as an indispensible tool to communicate, bank, shop, and seek/use various services. It supports the World Wide Web (WWW), email, networks for file sharing and other uses. The Web, was proposed and tested between 1989 and 1991.

• The Last mile (not a distance reference) refers to the critically important final leg of a network delivery & Includes Wi-Fi signals to a subscriber originating from wired networks, and copper wire phone lines that connect the telephone to the local telephone exchange, etc. – Last mile bottleneck results in bandwidth/capacity reduction or increased costs. Phone

companies may use Optical Fiber services for part of their delivery (i.e. backbone, but house wiring is older technology unable to support Optical Fiber speeds.

– Optical-Fiber in the Backbone does NOT mean Optical-Fiber Bandwidth to the home or business. You need Optical-Fiber and specific equipment (including the qualified vendor).• Lots of unnecessary confusion in this area!

BHCoC Broadband Effort

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Current Technology (minor exceptions in Blue Hill area)

• Dial-up: public switched telephone networks (PSTN) establishing a connection to an Internet service provider (ISP).

• DSL (Digital subscriber line): transmits digital data over telephone lines. • Satellite Internet access: uses communications satellites, typically geostationary.• Wi-Fi: uses Ultra High Frequency (UHF) or other radio bands enabling phones,

computers, gaming devices, etc. to connect via access points (i.e. Hotspots). Indoor range ~50ft.

• Cable Internet: uses cable TV infrastructure. The predominant form of residential Internet access, but now competes with fiber, wireless, and mobile implementations.

• 4G LTE (Long-Term Evolution) Phone or Hotspot: based on GSM/EDGE and UMTS/HSPA network technologies, increasing capacity and speed using a different radio interface and core network improvements using new DSP (digital signal processing) techniques and modulations.

BHCoC Broadband Effort

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NEW/UPCOMING TECHNOLOGIES• 4G LTE (Long-Term Evolution): based on GSM/EDGE and UMTS/HSPA network technologies, increasing

capacity and speed using a different radio interface and core network improvements using new DSP (digital signal processing) techniques and modulations. – LTE-Advanced: (True 4G) meets International Telecom Union’s specifications for 4th-gen wireless systems.– LTE-Advanced can theoretically achieve download of 3 Gbps and upload of 1.5 Gbps. – By comparison, LTE tops out around 300 Mbps download and 75 Mbps uploads. – LTE-Advanced includes new transmission protocols and multiple-antenna schemes enabling smoother handoffs,

increase throughput at cell edges, and stuff more bits per second into each hertz. Result will be higher network capacity, more consistent connections, and cheaper data.

• Fiber-Optic communication: uses pulses of light through optical fiber forming an electromagnetic carrier wave, modulated to carry information. Developed in the 1970s, fiber-optic systems have revolutionized telecom industry because of advantages over electrical transmission and replaced copper wire in cored networks to transmit telephone signals, Internet communications, and cable television signals. Bell Labs has reached Internet speeds over 100 petabits per second.

• Broadband over Powerline (BPL): is delivery of broadband over existing low and medium-voltage electric power distribution network. Speeds comparable to DSL.

BHCoC Broadband Effort

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Wired Space

BHCoC Broadband EffortEXAMPLE

Blue Hill:CATVOptical-FiberPhone/DSL

Blue Hill:Phone/DSL

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Megabit (Mb) vs. Megabyte (MB)

8 Mb = 1 MB (8 bits in a Byte)• A 6 MB file (1 Photo) takes 65 Sec at 0.7 Mbps

– 600 MB (100 Photos) takes 108 Minutes• 6 MB file takes 46 Sec at 1 Mbps

– 600 MB takes 76 Minutes• 6 MB file takes 15 sec at 3 Mbps

– 600 MB takes 25 Minutes

• 6 MB file takes 3 Sec at 15 Mbps– 600 MB takes 5 Minutes

• To upload Digital Files, broadband speed reduces upload time• To stream HD Video capable of supporting a 720p TV, you’ll need a bandwidth of

13.65 Mbps!– It is how fast you can move a specific amount of information (bandwidth/capacity)

Make sure your provider is giving you what you are paying for!BHCoC Broadband Effort

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General Information• Broadband

– defined by FCC as 25Mbps download/3Mbps upload. • 1 Megabit (Mb) = 106bits = 1,000,000 bits = 1,000 kilobits. • 1 Kilobit = 103bits = 1,000 bits.

• FUTURE FCC definition?– A Guess:

• 100 Mbps Download and 25 Mbps Upload?– More than it is today!

• In Maine– Unserved = without 10/10 (up/down)

Test ANY Connection– www.speedtest.net– www.fcc.gov/measuring-broadband-america/ mobile– www.speakeasy.net

And calculate transfer time: http://www.calctool.org/CALC/prof/computing/ transfer_time

BHCoC Broadband Effort

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Broadband SummaryBroadband Standard

4-1 25-3 10-10

SERVICES OLD NEWConnect Maine Wired Wireless Satellite

Future Growth (1) Availability (2) Local Vendors (5)

Dial-Up No No No X Yes - Limited for Mac Net Zero/Earthlink - $DSL No No No X Limited Area Fairpoint - $$

Wi-Fi No No No X Limited Area Premium Choice -$$$Satellite Yes No No X X Yes Hughes Net- $$$S

4G Wireless Yes No No X Limited Area US Cellular/Verizon/AT&T - $$$$

Cable Yes Yes Yes X Unknown Limited Area Time Warner - $$$

Optical Fiber Yes Yes Yes X X VERY Limited Fairpoint (Business Only) - $$$$$

4G LTE-Advanced Wireless Yes Yes Yes X X 98% Maine w/in 3yrs Redzone Wireless (3)(4) - $$

NOTES/Clarification 1. Technology and affordability limitations 2. Limited based on advertising, true availability, and in some cases technological limitations3. New vendor in Maine - All Information based on Advertising, News Reports and Personal Conversation4. Only vendor able to meet FCC/Connect Maine standards Below $70/month

March 12, 2015 5. Dollar Symbols ($) represent cost point for similar service (incl. setup, etc.) – or as close to it as possible

BHCoC Broadband Effort