Streamyx

Broadband internet service in rural areas of the country is still a shaky proposition. Just like the spotty cell phone service, it all depends on whether the companies providing the service consider it profitable. Some industrialized countries consider internet connectivity an essential part of their economies and their governments have been quick to intervene where private industry has proved unwilling. But, no so in the United States.

Buyer Beware

Broadband Internet service in rural areas can be had, but it is expensive and unreliable. Customers who opt for satellite service are forced to buy high priced equipment which then has a habit of becoming quickly outdated. One and two year service contracts are required. When a customer complains about outages, refunds are almost never offered. If a customer cannot tolerate the poor service and wants to cancel, these companies will usually attempt to sue for breach of contract.

So, read the fine print before you choose a service. Such contracts usually excuse a company from any responsibility for service quality. Contracts are written in such a way that even if service is almost non existent, they can still force you to pay. Of course, such tactics would never be tolerated by an urban population and government intervention would almost certainly follow, but rural areas like Vermont have no little influence in how they are treated in such matters.

Satellite Services may be on their way out

Up until recently, satellite service was the only way you could get broadband internet in a rural area. Those willing to pay in excess of $100 per month, plus a $600-$700 installation fee, are able to receive download speeds similar to that of a cable subscriber in the big city. But, not so with upload speeds. Those still remain almost as slow as a telephone modem. And, satellite service is unsuitable for internet phone providers like Vonage because of something call "latency." This word refers to the time it takes for a signal to travel to and from from the satellite. The delay, sometimes several seconds, makes it impossible to operate a telephone connection. Interactivity with a site like Pay Pal is also painfully slow. Expect at least several outages per month with a satellite service. Severe lightning, tornadoes, hurricanes and heavy snowfalls all cause outages effecting hundreds of thousands of customers. Calls to a national call center do little to alleviate customer frustration.

Wireless Internet

A more recent answer to internet connectivity in rural Vermont is Wireless. In this case, the signal comes in from a tower located nearby. The equipment and installation is still costly but usually remains the property of the provider so you don't have to worry so much about obsolescence. But, the technology requires a line of sight, so not everyone can get it. With a premium service level, speeds are high enough to operate an internet phone service like Vonage. But once again, service quality is not guaranteed and when the service goes down there may not be anyone around to fix it immediately. The wireless internet business is apparently not lucrative enough to keep technicians on call 24-7. That could mean not only no internet service but also no phone service for a day or two!

Government Intervention

Just like government regulation of cell phone service and the broadcast spectrum, expect government regulation of the internet to come into force, just as soon as this new area of economic activity becomes a reliable tax target. With the taxation and government grants to fledgling companies (Vermont has started giving out grants), the first signs are there. Of course with it comes public accountability. Will we see Vermont Internet connectivity providers before the local Public Service Utilities Board? Such an overseeing body is badly needed to restrain the gouging and poor service in an area which is essential to the well being of rural areas.

Tim Palmer-Benson is editor and publisher of Scenes of Vermont, a webzine about Vermont life with directories of restaurants and lodging in Vermont. His website is http://www.scenesofvermont.com

Going on a cruise in the Caribbean is one of the most exciting trips a person can experience in a lifetime. The excitement begins with the thrill of traveling through open seas, and visiting many different ports to experience the diverse culture and hospitality of a variety of ports.

When you take a Caribbean cruise, there are many activities available to you both on and off ship. You will never have a moment to be bored, even if you are hanging out at the ship's pool enjoying the sultry sun and fantastic scenery. You can scuba diving in waters humans do not normally swim in, and see oceanic life you just don't see anywhere but in the Caribbean.

Caribbean cruises are usually considered one of the most romantic getaways in the world. You can spend time with your loved one alone aboard ship, or take part in the many activities available for couples at the many exciting ports.

The port visits take you to islands that have cultures significantly different from what most Americans are used to. Cruising allows you to experience something unique, and you cannot readily imagine the experience until you try it. This cultural enrichment is one of the most attractive aspects of a Caribbean cruise.

One of the most common complaints about Caribbean cruises is the price. There is no such thing as a cheap Caribbean cruises, as most run at least $600 per person for a four-day cruises ? depending on where you depart from. But if you do research, especially on the Internet, you can find ?last minute? cruise deals and other discounts that make Caribbean cursing a little more affordable. It's worth searching, and it's definitely worth spending the money for a once and a lifetime trip.

Caribbean Cruises provides detailed information on Caribbean cruises, Caribbean cruise deals, Caribbean cruise lines, luxury Caribbean cruises and more. Caribbean Cruises is affiliated with Caribbean Travel Cruises.

If you work myspace correctly. Any network marketer who is using myspace to market knows it can become a fultime endeavor. In my opinion Friend Blaster Pro is the best software to use in myspace marketing.

When I first started learning how to market online I was told by other marketers that myspace was a great place to generate prospects. Myspace currently has over 200 million people in the network. There is no possible way that I could attract a good portion of the network to my profile without the use of software.

Friend Blaster Pro works well because it automates so much of the marketing process. I used to have to go into profiles and manually submit friend request and comments. This could take hours depending on how many I needed to send out in a day.

Friend Blaster Pro will allow you to immediately trap other peoples profile ID's and then automatically send friend requests. You will still have to enter the captcha code from time to time but it is much faster. Myspace is very particular about spam and will shut down your profile if you recieve a lot of complaints or if they suspect you are spamming. What I learned to do was create anywhere from 1-5 profiles that were generic and attracted people to me. I made sure my profile was not some big advertisement with blinking banners everywhere. I then started sending out 100-200 friend requests per day. Throughout the day people would add me as their friend or send me a friend request. At the end of a week I had sent out over 1000 friend requests spread out over 5 profiles.

I would then use the software to automate and send out comments to all my friends. I would write generic positive comments with a link to my website. (Did you know that the search engines like google will pick up your comments?)

I would write articles and send out a bulletin to all 5 profiles. My friends would be able to read my bulletin everyday. Friend Blaster Pro automates bulletins as well.

So how much does friend blaster pro cost? It is very affordable. For $60 I was able to download it to my desktop and load an unlimited number of profiles. I highly recommend getting this software for your myspace marketing. Remember TIME is money and Friend Blaster Pro saves you a lot of time.

If you would like to learn more about me and how your business can benefit from an online marketing system, check out my resources below.

Discover how to earn a whopping $4,567,09 per month in your spare time even if nobody joins your MLM business. Forget cold calling. Forget those home meetings. In fact, forget everything you've ever been taught about building a solid income in Network Marketing from the "gurus". Let this 25- yr "unknown" marketer show you how he built an organization of over 4,120 in 14 short months without making one phone call! ==> http://www.carlcoffin.net - My Online Marketing System
http://www.MLMTheLazyWay.net - My Personal Blog
http://www.myspace.com/carlsmlmsecrets - Become my friend today!!