What You Should Know about Broadband Access
February 17th, 2012 Filed under: Television — Television AuthorBroadband services come in a number of formats and can be purchase from a selection of providers. In general the speed that many people demand of an internet connection these days requires either DSL or a cable modem connection.
Cable modem internet connections are provided by the local cable company, and use the same coaxial cable as cable television. Internet packets on unused areas of the cable channel. Sometimes fiber optic cable brings cable services to a neighborhood, and coaxial cable runs from there to the homes of individual subscribers. In other areas the entire length of the connection is coaxial cable. On the whole, cable provides higher speeds and more consistent performance than DSL, and is somewhat more widely available. It will also probably be less expensive in most areas. However, customers may need a cable line installed if their home doesn’t have one, or if the one that is already there isn’t in a location they find convenient for their computer.
DSL, which stands for digital subscriber line, is most often provided either by a local telephone company or by an internet service provider who sells it on behalf of a telephone company. Customers who want DSL must live within a certain distance of a telecommunications junction known as the central office. The further away customers live from that junction, the slower their connection will be. Line quality can also be an issue — in older neighborhoods phone lines may not qualify for DSL even within the distance where they normally would, whether because of aging infrastructure or because of the presence of line coils on their line. Another telephone technology called integrated services digital network, or ISDN, may offer internet connectivity for customers who can’t get DSL, but it is much slower and sometimes can be very expensive.
Customers who live in very rural areas sometimes turn to satellite internet connections. These connections require a line of site to the provider’s satellite and sometimes suffer from considerable delays. Rain can also affect the quality of a satellite connection. Satellite connectivity therefore should not be the first choice for most customers, but it does offer an internet solution in areas where other high-speed internet access is not available.
