| For several years, rural communities were left absent | | | | too small to have their own newspapers. For such |
| the benefits of broadband Internet service. Far out of | | | | areas, blogs can fill the gap and satisfy the need for |
| the range of DSL and cable, these customers had to | | | | local, relevant information. Anyone with a broadband |
| rely on dial-up connections to log on. As the Internet | | | | connection and basic writing skills can have their own |
| has become more of a social networking medium than | | | | blog up and running in short order. Though it's fast and |
| a simple entertainment medium, the drawbacks of not | | | | easy to do, the usefulness of the medium is truly |
| being able to participate fully have become more | | | | broad. |
| extreme. Satellite broadband offers a bridge from the | | | | Those who live in very rural areas have long relied on |
| countryside to the information superhighway. | | | | catalogs to shop for basic necessities. As print |
| Networking online is very easy provided one has a | | | | catalogs have gone by the wayside, online shopping |
| fast connection. Browsing blogs, user profiles and other | | | | sites have taken their place. On a broadband |
| common means of networking online is almost | | | | connection, such sites load very quickly and making |
| unbearable on a dial-up connection. The page load | | | | transactions is easy and entails no delay in having |
| times are incredibly slow, images may take minutes to | | | | one's order placed. Whether one is ordering specialty |
| load and streaming media is out of the question. | | | | equipment parts, clothing or something frivolous and fun |
| Where the modern Internet is concerned, broadband is | | | | such as DVD's, broadband makes the experience |
| more of a necessity than a luxury. | | | | much more enjoyable and practical. |
| The more practical features of the Internet have also | | | | Being able to communicate with others, especially in |
| become more bandwidth intensive. For instance, | | | | real time, makes one feel more a part of a larger |
| weather reporting sites online oftentimes employ | | | | community. Broadband Internet's social aspects are |
| moving images taken by radar, interactive forms that | | | | vast. Users can connect across the field or across the |
| allow one to customize their forecasts and other | | | | world with equal ease. Keeping in touch with friends |
| enhancements that make the services more practical. | | | | and relatives who live far away is as easy as logging |
| On a dial-up connection, these features may not only | | | | on and sending an email. With digital cameras being so |
| be slow, they may be entirely unusable. For those with | | | | inexpensive, sending pictures and even video along |
| a vested interested in obtaining the most current | | | | with the email is well within the capabilities of anyone |
| information about their world, broadband has become | | | | with a broadband connection. |
| a necessity. | | | | Satellite broadband Internet brings all these features to |
| Users, of course, may also connect with other users in | | | | rural areas. The various services are quite affordable |
| their local communities as easily as they can with | | | | and the equipment essentially identical to that used for |
| broader reaching services. Many rural communities are | | | | satellite television. |