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at best, it can pjpri service three miles from the wire center” the repoasc&ys. “Remote terminals generally may be upgraded to wire centers to deploy more DSL technology ..., but tapcosts are great and each phone company intends tank* so only if they feel the subscribers they will net ar^Oufficient to justify the investment.”
Comcast Digital Cable offers service in some areas, but the report wps the company is not interested in expanding service'' in the county. According to the report, Comcast’iffranchise agreement requires expan- » sion only if the population density reaches 11 homes per linear mile. Smrice costs for Comcast vary from $24.95 to $69.95mM* month, the report says.
Two firms oflfer over-air broadband access in Rappahannock. Virginia Broad Band is beginning to offer service in the southern and eastern ends of the county, while eOffice is commencing service in central Rappahannock from a hub in Castleton. Both firms provide service to individual homes and businesses through a broadcast radio signal relayed to those locations from a microwave transmitter.
An antenna is required to receive the over-air signal. The antenna costs between $295 and $795 fin* installation, according to the report, and monthly fees range from $59 to $69 a month.
Both VBB and eOffice are planning to expand service in Rappahannock, but will require some regulatory relief to do so, the report says. The county currently requires a special-exception permit for any “telecommunication facility or radio, television and microwave antenna and/or transmitting facility.”
Rappahannock’s rural character and rolling hills are also obstacles the over-air providers will have to conquer
“How much either over-air provider is able or willing to expand will largely be a function of the customer base which exists to support it,” the report says. “As has been observed, two of the blessings of living in Rappahannock County is its low population density and open space; both conditions are the enemy of broadband providers. When esupied-with our higjhjlBgree of tapographic variation, this amounts to a near knockout.”
Satellite providers, such as Hughes and Starband, are also available in the county but the report says local subscribers have complained about problems with the satellites’reliability. There are also costs associated with installing the equipment. The report recommends satellite service only fin- the county’s most remote locations
The full Broadband Initiative repent is available on Rappahannock County’s Web site (www.rappahannockcountyva.gov) in the “Notices and Documents” section.
Results of a citizen survey about Internet providers can also be viewed online at www.skinsfan.usAnternetsurvey/map.aspx.
E-mail the reporter at kallen@timespapers.com
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