[Hidden-tech] GAW.com?

[Robert Heller]

At Tue, 19 Apr 2011 13:30:05 -0400 Melissa Weinberger <ediblepioneervalley at gmail.com> wrote:

> 
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> 
> I keep getting these mailings from GAW for high-speed internet for
> $29.95/month. I'm currently paying over $150/month for the Charter
> phone/internet/cable package and would not mind decreasing that bill
> significantly by going with a cheaper internet connection and a
> satellite dish. Is anyone familiar with GAW?

GAW appears to be 900MHZ wireless.  We have a variation of that in
parts of Wendell (center of town), including the Wendell Free Library. 
The service here is off Mt. Grace in Warwick.  I am not familiar with
GAW itself, but as a member of the Broadband Committee of one of the
unserved / underserved towns in Western Mass., this technology was one
that was investigated (and the access off Mt. Grace in Warwick is in
fact one of the things that grew out of Warwick's Broadband Committee
and some consultants that worked with the Pioneer Valley Connect
people). This is a reasonable stopgap / interum technology for unserved
and underserved regions.  It is not really a *replacement* for cable or
DSL Internet.  And GAW website appears to be looking to provide service
to people who can't get cable or DSL service.

If you are used to cable broadband Internet (eg Charter), you are going
to be disapointed (possibly *very* disapointed). The $29.95/month deal
probably means 1MBit/Sec bandwidth (compared to 3-10MBit/Sec you are
getting from Charter now). You'll probably need to get a 'regular'
landline phone ($60/month from Verizon if you want national long
distance). Expect to lose internet when it rains.  Oh, you need a
folliage-free, line-of-site shot to GAW's access point (tower). Yes, it
beats dial-up, but hardly comes close to what you get from even the
crappiest cable provider.  If you have cable, you are probably better
off.  You *might* shave off some by going with a lower-end Verizon DSL
Internet option.

-- 
Robert Heller             -- 978-544-6933 / heller at deepsoft.com
Deepwoods Software        -- http://www.deepsoft.com/
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