I live in Rural Benton City. Both my neighbors have Spectrum Internet but I wasn't able to get it because there was 'not enough room on the telephone poll'. I was so frustrated.

I was told in order to have Spectrum I needed to pay around $6000 to dig a trench from the road up to my home.

Better options are on the horizon for Internet users

Needless to say, I tried many other service companies from Ziply Fiber to Huges Net and a bunch of others that promised I'd be able to get good service but never could. These expensive mobile units never worked well and would be so slow it just wasn't worth it.

Remote workers enjoy traveling with high-speed Internet.

I resorted to Starlink. A fairly pricey option, but it works well. I have since just purchased another whole system from them to use with my RV horse trailer so that I can have internet while traveling and do my radio show from the road. This comes at an additional investment plus another monthly fee.

My upfront cost is about $1000 for both systems and about $300 per month for both services while traveling although I can pause the mobile unit service when I'm not traveling.

The Biden-Harris Administration announced Monday it approved more than $15.9 million in funding to expand internet access throughout Washington. The grant comes from the $1.44 billion State Digital Equity Capacity Grant Program and is part of the “Internet for All” initiative, according to a news release from the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) Monday.

I'm not sure exactly what that means for me at this point, but I do think it's nice to hear that in the future no matter where you live, there will be accessible internet.  Hopefully, it will be affordable for everyone.

We shall see if it pans out the way it sounds. It seems oftentimes there is some catch. I remain skeptical.

 “This funding represents a major step toward closing the digital divide in Washington state — making sure that everyone, no matter where they live, can make the most of a high-speed internet connection to work, study, get health care, and connect with their loved ones,” Patty Murray said via a news release from her office on Monday.
98.3 KEYW logo
Get our free mobile app

5 Gadgets That Could Be Spying On You

Devices that have technology that could be used to spy on consumers

Gallery Credit: Chris Wolfe

Vintage Gadgets and Other Stuff Your Kids Will Never Understand

Gallery Credit: Ethan Carey

More From 98.3 KEYW