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applestar
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Location: Zone 6, NJ (3/M)4/E ~ 10/M(11/B)

Broadband

... I’m posting this here in the “Non-Gardening Related Hoo-ha and Foo” but I kind of expect it’s going to be more and more related and relevant to some aspect or other of gardening as time and technology advances on.

There was a couple of references to broadband access issues elsewhere on the forum recently. Today, I came across this article: This is a map of America’s broadband problem - The Verge

— There is one of those interactive county-data based USA map in the article. You can click on your county to see % of broadband in use.

(I mentioned before how my neighborhood has been speeding along with faster access cables and towers as new tech became available. In the map, area around my neighborhood is solidly grey, though I believe there are likely patchworks of dead zones on closer inspection.)

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webmaster
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Location: Amherst, MA USDA Zone 5a

Interesting. My area is under 50% has those speeds. I'm on municipal fiberoptic because the ISPs refused to give my small town broadband so we built it ourselves with a very small grant from the state.

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applestar
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Location: Zone 6, NJ (3/M)4/E ~ 10/M(11/B)

I hear stories like that — a co-op here, a cop-op there. Goes to show how wide swaths of regions could be neglected. I wonder if this is how our grandparents and great-grandparents experienced electricity and telephone wires....? I guess for us more recently, the cell phone towers and service dead zones (We used to have one where there was ZERO service/reception on the way between home and the sea shore/beach while driving through the Pine Barrens).

I realize this is not at all related, but .... In our neighborhood, all wires are buried (which of course has its own associated problems sometimes) When they revanmped the underground conduit systems a little while ago, they had to dig a new narrow ditch (with a cute little digger machine called “Li’l Ditch Witch”) and bury a new large-bore conduit under our driveway — it was surprisingly simple to do (I was imagining all kinds of torn up driveway and surrounding lawn ... but that didn’t happen). I was left with the impression that “they do this all the time” and “it’s not a big deal”.


BTW I was reminded about Starlink ...a little later after posting, and wondered why it wasn’t on my mind right away?

Re-reading this PC Magazine article from March, I guess it’s because the project is not really a high priority for my area?
:arrow: What Is Starlink? SpaceX's Much-Hyped Satellite Internet Service Explained | PCMag

imafan26
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Location: Hawaii, zone 12a 587 ft elev.

Wow! I don't believe it. Hawaii is all grey. I think that is good. First time Hawaii is in the lead with technology. Actually, I think we have had the highest cell phone ownership/usage for years. That being said, I only have two choices for internet. Either dial up or Spectrum. Otherwise I am not near any tower to get any other service.



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