August 26, 2007
Reliable high-speed Internet access on the Mountain is desired by many full- and part-time residents. There does not yet appear to be a single provider that will meet the needs of all residents.
In the fall of 2006 we conducted an online survey to determine the breadth and strength of interest in high-speed Internet access on the Mountain. The conclusions are simple: There is very strong interest and willingness to pay for such services. In the near future, we will continue to monitor commercial offerings but as of this date, it is premature to make a strong recommendation.
Of the 100 respondents to our survey:
Current Internet Access: 43% use dial-up, 12% use satellite, 34% don't have
any access
Interest in High Speed Access: 69% are strongly interested, an additional 14% somewhat interested in obtaining high speed Internet access, bringing the total to 83% of respondents. Perhaps most telling is the response that 73% of those with satellite Internet access today are still interested in new high speed access.
Price Sensitivity:
13% are willing to pay more than $60/month
22% are willing to pay $41-60/month
51% are willing to pay $21-40/month
Note: some users demand high speed access for their work, and cost is not an
issue; some would spend more time on the Mountain if it were readily available.
Response Demographics:
45% of respondents currently live full time on the Mountain
82% or respondents live full, part-time, or plan to do so in 3-5 years
If interested, you can see the graphical responses to the survey here, in addition to more detailed survey results.
Some technical details: There are two major user factors:
User expectations: If your experience is dial-up, many of the alternatives
may appear as significant improvements. However, if your experiences are cable,
DSL, or other commercial alternatives, satellite services may dissapoint.
Although data transfer rates of satellite services at first appear attractive,
latency
can reduce
the effectiveness
of
fast web
browsing, POP-based email, etc.
Functionality: Certain applications [e.g. gaming, VOIP (telephony
or Voice over Internet Protocol), etc.] are un-supported or are unreliable
in
use over satellite.
Please email Jim Hamerly if you need or want more information. You also may wish to contact Paul FitzGerald, who is chair of the PMVFD's Communications Committee.