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by Robert Stephens
BVCA board trustee and volunteer
How fast is your internet in Bennett Valley? Did you know there are speeds available now 100Mb for $80/month and 500Mb for $175/mo?
You likely have given thought to backups for power via solar/battery or propane generator. It's the same for internet service. The good news is there are new technologies and companies offering faster and better internet here in the valley.
The wildfires in 2017 and Covid both highighted how important our internet connections are. We need to stay connected in case of emergency but also - remote work is a growing option whether you live in Bennett Valley full or part-time. But internet access has always been spotty here. Poles and wires are expensive to maintain. Xfinity isn't expanding coax cable service and AT&T is desperately trying to get out of the landline business in rural areas. There's a little fiber here and there but it's unlikely to be expanded in such isolated terrain.
Wireless internet is experiencing a boom, especially in rural areas. New technology, faster speeds, better reliability, lower cost all are changing the game. Better yet - these services usually rely on solar and battery backup towers - offering better service during power outages.
I recently sat down with Steve Price founder and owner of Trellis Internet who now is offering internet in Bennett Valley with speeds that range from 100Mbs to 1Gbs. Trellis is a WiSP (Wireless Internet Service provider). Steve has been in technology his whole life. A Sebastopol native, he grew up working in his father's business Quarterwave which he now runs. Quarterwave designs and builds complex wireless electronics used by the military and airports around the world. We are lucky to have a world-class expert in wireless with Steve now expanding into internet service.
Steve tells me a big reason is there are new high speed wireless technologies growing in performance and dropping in cost. So I paid a visit to Trellis Internet to find out more.
Here's are the highlights from my interview with Steve:
New technologies like 60Ghz and newer equipment are making rural broadband faster and better quality, able to serve more different locations.
Trellis is offering service and expanding coverage in Bennett Valley.
AT&T isn't likely to replace most landlines with fiber, and not likely at a reduced cost, despite their claims.
Verizon & AT&T's current "fixed wireless" service hasn't expanded very much in Bennett Valley. They are not investing in the expansion of their network here.
Starlink is a good backup option - but might not be the best as your primary internet source. Keep in mind: latency, and network limits will happen - and these dishes need to switch to a different train of satellites every 3-4 minutes - which you may have noticed gaps when streaming video or on a video call.
Why was internet so terrible from other local wireless providers during Covid?
Steve: Too many people consuming bandwidth during Covid. The tower sites where the internet was relayed to homes were essentially drinking from a much smaller straw - further limiting the business. Worse, if they didn't operate efficiently and capably as they added customers, the quality would suffer. Covid hits- but the new gear had not been deployed in time - and we also had supply chain shocks - further delaying upgrades. Streaming higher res movies in 4K only added to the bandwidth squeeze.
What's different now? What has changed?
When the first generation of WiSPs were established 10-20 years ago - they averaged speeds of 5-10Mb - but were limited in coverage- and the number of options for equipment were also limited. Further - setting up this gear required much more technical sophistication. If they didn't build out or maintain the network properly, it could start to degrade performance over time.
What does this new network tower gear and 60Ghz do?
Steve: The equipment is 10x the speed and capacity. This allows us a better opportunity to make and keep the service working more reliably. It has 5Ghz backup radios if the signal is disturbed by storms. In some cases, we can beam a signal through trees - which gives us ability to offer service to more areas. Network latency is greatly improved over the older gear: Customers experience latency when a Zoom call or streaming a movie becomes jittery. This newer gear allows us to offer better and faster service than anyone: AT&T, Starlink, Verizon, and Xfinity.
Contact Trellis 707-800-8757 or trellisinternet.com
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