Entrepreneurial ISPs (especially wireless), take heed

We receive a number of calls from entrepreneurs and ISPs wanting to start a wireless Internet access network. They usually ask what areas need the service, info on tower availability, where would they be the most successful, and also if we happen to have any grant funding. They have usually looked at our Web site and understand that our mission is to work toward universal high-speed Internet access to every citizen of North Carolina.

Normally, the urban counties, metropolitan areas, larger towns and larger subdivisions have at least one type of high-speed Internet access whether it is by cable modem, DSL or wireless. A business case for these areas is easy to develop (with all those potential customers packed in together), so they already have service. The small towns, communities, crossroads and rural areas of our state are the areas lacking high-speed Internet access, yet they are the areas that need it the most. These are the areas that need to be served, but are the hardest to develop a business case for.

Tower availability is also harder to find in these areas. Most water tanks already have some form of wireless equipment on them and most communities have set up guidelines and fees for their use; some have very stringent requirements and hefty fees associated with them. Getting access to fire towers has also become more difficult and backhaul transport to these locations is very expensive. All of these hidden and obvious costs have to be included in the business plan for entrepreneurs interested in starting a new ISP. And don’t forget a billing system, support staff and back office operations. It adds up.

But let’s get back to the case of effective wireless in rural communities…

Another issue for ISP entrepreneurs is access to customers, which is one of the main problems in rural areas. Manufacturers often present a “best-case” scenario when they advertise their radio equipment. Some state that their equipment is line-of-sight, but then give exaggerated examples of five to seven miles of coverage from their antenna. Some say that their signals can “blast through trees.” (They just don’t say what kind of tree.) We need for them to run some trials in the thick pine trees of rural North Carolina. According to some of the wireless providers we have talked with, pine trees “eat radio frequency.” Besides the trees, there are other items that cause interference and affect the range and quality of the signals.

Even with these challenges, wireless will probably be the only way a number of areas in North Carolina will ever see service. The e-NC Authority supports wireless efforts and the challenges outlined here are not meant to be negative or against wireless service. When ISP entrepreneurs spend their money, time and effort to serve these areas of our state, we want them to be successful. Our intention is to assist those entrepreneurial ISPs in developing a thorough business case. And when it comes time to deploy, we want them to be successful.

As for grants, we do not have any available at this time. If the N.C. General Assembly provides us with funding this year, we will address the counties with the lowest connectivity as we have in the past. And who knows – hopefully wireless can be a part of that…

Just trying to do what we're mandated to do...

On Monday there was another meeting of the House Select Committee on High-Speed Internet in Rural Areas (chaired by Rep. Bill Faison, N.C. District 50) and it was quite the adventure. Invited to present was Jim Baller of Baller Herbst Law Group in Washington, D.C., an attorney and national telecommunications policy expert. He addressed the committee and those members of the public about - in general - how far the United States and North Carolina are falling behind in terms of broadband deployment and access to connectivity. It was pretty depressing, though he did have some excellent concrete recommendations toward the end about what can be done to remedy the situation, namely to support research efforts of the e-NC Authority and provide funding for public-private partnerships for deployment in the most critically underserved counties. These recommendations tie directly into the e-NC Authority's legislative and advocacy priorities for the 2008 session.

Unfortunately, the reality of how far behind we are as a nation in terms of broadband deployment and broadband access is nothing new. But tell that to some of our rural citizens that are TRULY stuck at the bottom of the heap because their only access is dial-up or (expensive and slow) satellite! The meeting started with only three legislators present, but three others joined the meeting before leaving again prior to adjournment. The full legislature just reconvened for this summer's short session on Tuesday, so everyone there is pretty busy right now.

What also made the committee meeting so interesting was the discussion around a proposed bill that would mandate the service providers to annually report their coverage areas (availability, not disclosure of actual take-up rates or subscriber information) to the e-NC Authority. A good number of the service providers currently DO send this information to us on an annual basis, but a few of them don't - and unfortunately, this holds up the entire process.

The committee started to discuss the bill that would mandate reporting, and no issues were raised by the legislators. When the floor was opened up for commentary from those of us in the peanut gallery (staff members from the e-NC Authority, and various and sundry representatives from the service providers) - things got really interesting. Many of the service providers stated that providing this information could be financially burdensome. Some also argued that they do not have information about where exactly they offer service, at least not to the detail/degree suggested in the bill.

When you really get down to it, the e-NC Authority is only trying to accomplish its mission as assigned by the N.C. General Assembly - to accurately track the availability of high-speed Internet access in all 100 counties on an annual basis and then advocate for deployment in underserved counties.

But how can that happen effectively if the data we receive is incomplete?

Getting hip to NEW technology

In the midst of all other sundry tasks and responsibilities, our staff recently realized that an entire world of Web 2.0 opportunity was passing us by. Well...never more. Consider us reformed (or rather, a beginning of reformation).

We hereby christen this blog of the e-NC Authority - as a small but instrumental step toward greater inter-connectivity with our partners and advocates across the state of North Carolina. As we work together to increase the availability of high-speed telecommunications services, this blog will be populated with new and compelling research, publications, articles and links of interest. We hope you will join us in the discussion. Send stories of what your life is like without a high-speed connection to the Internet. Send stories about how your business or education has improved because of greater (and new!) bandwidth. And let us know how we can work better together as a team.

If North Carolina is to remain competitive in the global economy of our present and future - every citizen, school, home, hospital and business must have access to a high-speed Internet connection. Making this happen continues to require nothing short of revolutionary action on the part of our state's citizens and elected leaders - to ensure that North Carolina not only survives economic transformation, but excels at it.

Welcome to the connection.

Visit www.e-nc.org