How can I get decent internet in a rural area?

[Andrew Curzon]

So, I've researched this question. A LOT. But I still have yet to find an answer that leaves me with a clear and sound idea of what is available to me in a rural setting.

I recently moved from a 'slightly' rural setting that had Charter Internet and moved to a more rural section of the town that does not have access to cable internet. I'll be honest, I am losing my mind.

I have explored a few options. I am currently utilizing a local ISP to provide me with my service. However, the service is terrible and I haven't suffered 100 kbps downloads since the middle of the last decade. I'm currently paying around $40.00/mo for a 1.5 mbps internet connection. My server ping is kinda of ridiculous, too -- it spikes to 200-300 ms at times.

I'm huge into online gaming and have been just about my whole life. You'd think the first thing I'd think to ask about is the internet service, but when buying a house, the idea of that being important seemed minuscule compared to the other aspects involved. OH, HOW WRONG I WAS.

Anyway, I've looked at satellite internet service. The bandwidth isn't half bad, but server latency is a big issue -- which makes online gaming a big issue. DSL seems to be the way to go, but is my only option a local ISP? Or does anyone have any other pointers to an internet service that provides great internet speeds/latency that don't require an arm and a leg as payment? Any ideas would be much appreciated! Thanks!

[Profoundkite323]

Anything other than the locally available infrastructure is going to be expensive - you have to make up the infrastructure to get your internet connection.

Write to your local cable operator (the people who the telephone companies and broadband companies rent the lines from to supply you) and ask when they are going to upgrade the nearest telephone exchange to fibres (so you get fibres to the exchange then copper to your house, faster but not the fastest). They might have plans to upgrade within a year or so. If not get all your neighbours together to write and ask for it - some companies will do the upgrade if enough people ask for it, so worth a go.

Next option is mobile connection using the mobile (cell) phone signals, it will never be the fastest but could be faster.

Last option would be to spend a couple of thousand and get a microwave link from your house to a friends with faster connection, use this link but you are also bt what your make is goinf

[AVDADDY]

From what you tell us, it sounds like DSL is your only choice. DSL will outperform anything you get with satellite. I hope that the isolation and solitude of your new abode are an adequate tradeoff.