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Ocracoke/Hyde County to get high speed internet.

Ocracoke/Hyde County to get high speed internet.




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"Hyde County is among 14 rural North Carolina counties that will receive a grant to provide high-speed internet access to 1,282 homes or businesses, including on Ocracoke Island.

In a press release issued by Gov. Josh Stein’s office, the total $31 million in grants are part of Completing Access to Broadband (CAB) program projects connecting 10,810 households and businesses in 14 counties."

"According to Randal Mathews of Ocracoke, who is chair of the Hyde County county commissioners, the Brightspeed work on the island should start in September."

Who knows how long it will take to string the cable the length of the island.

"“Once the Brightspeed work is completed, people can subscribe,” Mathews said, acknowledging that some Ocracoke residents already have Brightspeed."

I watched the March Madness games on my 17" laptop. The tv picture was too terrible to follow the ball. smiley




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RE: Ocracoke/Hyde County to get high speed internet.




How rural is Hyde County? It's 24th in size out of 100 iirc.

"Dare County's land area is larger than Hyde County's, with a total area of 1,562 square miles, compared to Hyde County's 1,423.94 square miles"

"As of the 2020 census, the population was 4,589, making it the second-least populous county in North Carolina."

The least? "Tyrrell County, with a population of 3,245 as of the 2020 census." Take NC64 west from Roanoke Island, that's Tyrrell.


RE: Ocracoke/Hyde County to get high speed internet.





"Hyde County is among 14 rural North Carolina counties that will receive a grant to provide high-speed internet access to 1,282 homes or businesses, including on Ocracoke Island.

Who knows how long it will take to string the cable the length of the island.

"“Once the Brightspeed work is completed, people can subscribe,” Mathews said, acknowledging that some Ocracoke residents already have Brightspeed."

johnbt


They're talking about Fiber here. Okracoke already has Brightspeed DSL, which is considered "high speed internet". Not as good as cable, fiber or satellite but still way better than the old dial-up.

Ripple Fiber has buried their cable in the northern OB for 2 or 3 years but I'm still waiting in KH Landing for my Ripple. I hate Spectrum.


RE: Ocracoke/Hyde County to get high speed internet.




Yeah, yeah, the FCC considers anything 25 and up "high speed".

"that meet or exceed the FCC's definition of 25 Mbps or faster."

They need to move up into the 21st century. Even poor old mediocre Comcast/Xfinity has fairly cheap Gigabit speed plans.

The rest of the world has moved on - "For a fast and reliable internet experience, aim for download speeds of at least 100 Mbps and upload speeds of at least 20 Mbps, especially if you have multiple devices or engage in activities like streaming, gaming, or video conferencing."


RE: Ocracoke/Hyde County to get high speed internet.




I remember 300/600/1200 baud modems and dialup. I remember AOL floppies. Then I signed up for Verizon Fios when they came selling it door to door in Richmond City in 2006. I remarried in 2018 and moved to Henrico County and all we can get is Comcast with their frequent outages and signal drops. Oh well.

I get better Verizon wireless signal strength on Ocracoke than I get anywhere in Richmond. Go figure.


RE: Ocracoke/Hyde County to get high speed internet.




And fwiw, Brightspeed wants $50 or $60/month of 30 mbps and very little more for fast fiber.

"Brightspeed offers a range of internet plans with varying speeds and prices. For 30 Mbps, you might expect a plan starting around $55-$65 per month. A 1 Gig plan would typically cost around $59 per month. Brightspeed also offers 2 Gig plans at $89 per month. "


RE: Ocracoke/Hyde County to get high speed internet.




Yeah, yeah, the FCC considers anything 25 and up "high speed".
"that meet or exceed the FCC's definition of 25 Mbps or faster."
They need to move up into the 21st century. Even poor old mediocre Comcast/Xfinity has fairly cheap Gigabit speed plans.

johnbt


Brightspeed (previously Centurylink) DSL does work for some people. I have some friends with BS DSL and are able to stream Roku channels just fine. They are cord cutters like me. I just don't know why Brightspeed and Ripple are taking so long to offer Fiber in my neighborhood (KH Landing). Did I mention I hate Spectrum?


RE: Ocracoke/Hyde County to get high speed internet.




"I have some friends with BS DSL and are able to stream Roku channels just fine."

Sure, streaming an SD movie takes 5 to 10. A 4k movie takes 25, real 25, not the provider's imaginary 25 or 30 they claim you'll get when you sign up. And live streaming takes more speed.

Throw in two grandsons watching different things two kids trying to do some work from home and it's nuts.

"Can I watch 4K in 30 Mbps?
Typical streaming services such as Amazon and Netflix require between 15-25 Mbps to stream content, so 30 Mbps should be fast enough to stream videos from standard to 4k HD definition. 30 Mbps has its limits, as live streaming takes up more bandwidth and streaming on multiple devices will bog your signal down."

Paying $48 for a 30 mbps-only plan is nuts when across Hatteras Inlet they charge $89 for a 500 mbps plan that includes 60+ tv channels including many major networks.

Silicon Travel plans. They're a reseller - good folks - www.silicontravel.com/internet-service/north-carolina/



RE: Ocracoke/Hyde County to get high speed internet.




Starlink is very popular on Ocracoke. Equipment is $350 and the people I know pay $120/month.
It's a good way for retailers to process credit card transactions, too. It even works when some contractor on Hatteras Island cuts the cable. Again.

The Ocracoke school was the second location of the 2021 national pilot project.
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"The state wanted to see what kind of service they could get in the mountains, because broadband service is terrible there. They also wanted to see how this technology would work in flat unobstructed terrain.

“I’ve got the perfect place for you,” Hyde County School Superintendent Steve Basnight told the state. “It’s an island where everybody’s basically within about a mile and a half of everyone else.”"



RE: Ocracoke/Hyde County to get high speed internet.




We use Starlink here in rural south Jersey. Comcast won’t run cable to us from their line up at the corner of our property unless we hand them $9000!
We love Starlink Thanks, Elon!
Never any problems.



RE: Ocracoke/Hyde County to get high speed internet.




And, if we want, we can take it with us anywhere we go! How great is that?!!


RE: Ocracoke/Hyde County to get high speed internet.




Brightspeed (previously Centurylink) DSL does work for some people.


Yup, folks would be suprised how well it really does work...and, zero traffic degradation (a huge deal on a rainy summer afternoon when everyone is online). Just gotta insure your wireless connections are delivering your full bandwidth. Only issue we've found is that some streamers (Apple TV for example when when pausing/rewinding) don't "like" the slower speeds and need a few seconds to "sync up".


RE: Ocracoke/Hyde County to get high speed internet.




And, if we want, we can take it with us anywhere we go! How great is that?!!

LollyGirl


My niece and her husband sold their house and bought an old bus converted into an RV and travel the country. He "works from home"... if you can call it that. Starlink is the ticket for them.


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