19 million Americans don't have high speed internet

[Rhea]

And some people cannot understand this.

I've ranted before about our school, which expects students to watch videos at night. About the county real property office that requires you to make title change applications online andmyriad other places, "just go online!" as if that's easy. And then there's the people who rant about The Poors having access to government subsidized smart phones because "people don't need that." Oh, but they really do.


Anyway. Currently trying help some people understand the problem. And it's just so foreign to them they can't understand the problem (but are happy to excoriate for it).

Just download it.
Can't. No streaming.
So just get it on your cell phone.
Can't. No service.
The fact that you don't buy cable isn't my problem.
Dude. i'm not eschewing cable. I have no cable.
Get DSL then.
Dude. i'm not eschewing DSL. I have no DSL.
Order it.
The wire. Does not reach. My house.
Get a hotspot for your phone.
No cell service here.
Get one of those extenders!
You mean the kind that plugs into your wifi?
Yeah, it's only like a hundred bucks.
What wifi.
The cable.
The cable stops two miles from my house. There is no cable.
How about one of those antenna boosters? Once you plug it in, won't the wifi work?
That's not how this works. That's not how any of this works.
Why did you move there?
Because when we moved here, the internet did not exist.
If you want to live so far out, that's your problem.
We are only 4 miles from town. Only 2 miles from a FioS. We don't live that far out.
So how come you don't just use your cell phone?
There are places in this country that do not have cell service. Lots of them.
You should get wifi.
There are places in this country that do not have high speed internet service. Lots of them.
I don't really understand why you can't make that work. I'll just go back to mocking people who need infrastructure.
Well better to mock than to understand, eh?

 

[Deepak]

Satellite is an option, and they offer double-digit megabit connections now, but it's comparatively pricey and the latency is for shit.

 

[Rayschism]

TRUMP'S INTERNET HEALTH CARE BILL!

YAAAAAAAAAAAAAY AMERICA!

 

[fast]

How about the school having alternate methods for viewing videos like VCR tapes?

 

[Rhea]

Satellite is an option, and they offer double-digit megabit connections now, but it's comparatively pricey and the latency is for shit.

We do have satellite, but you are limited to 15GB/mo, and then you are throttled to dial-up. Which means no streaming. I can browse the web, post here, do facebook (with all autoplay and ad traffic blocked) and the like, but no streaming and not enough for voice-over-internet-phone. And when the weather is rotten, the satellite is down.

All of which is tolerable to us until someone says I _have_ to use internet for a thing. Like tax software. "just download updates!" Yeah, "just."

- - - Updated - - -

TRUMP'S INTERNET HEALTH CARE BILL!

YAAAAAAAAAAAAAY AMERICA!

You going for non-sequitur of the year?

- - - Updated - - -

How about the school having alternate methods for viewing videos like VCR tapes?

This was one that sparked my rant. One teacher is doing video lessons and then spending class going over homework. I applaud this, more hands-on time. Except... streaming. So I ask for a jump drive with the videos. Instead she gives my daughter "answer sheets" as if that is an adequate substitute for never getting a lesson. >:-(

 

[fast]

We do have satellite, but you are limited to 15GB/mo, and then you are throttled to dial-up. Which means no streaming. I can browse the web, post here, do facebook (with all autoplay and ad traffic blocked) and the like, but no streaming and not enough for voice-over-internet-phone. And when the weather is rotten, the satellite is down.

All of which is tolerable to us until someone says I _have_ to use internet for a thing. Like tax software. "just download updates!" Yeah, "just."

- - - Updated - - -

TRUMP'S INTERNET HEALTH CARE BILL!

YAAAAAAAAAAAAAY AMERICA!

You going for non-sequitur of the year?

- - - Updated - - -

How about the school having alternate methods for viewing videos like VCR tapes?

This was one that sparked my rant. One teacher is doing video lessons and then spending class going over homework. I applaud this, more hands-on time. Except... streaming. So I ask for a jump drive with the videos. Instead she gives my daughter "answer sheets" as if that is an adequate substitute for never getting a lesson. >:-(

Asking for the videos is a reasonable request.

The response where your daughter is given answer sheets is reminiscent of nonpertinent responses to questions. For example, "honey, do we have any ketchup in the fridge?" Response, "we're having steak tonight; there's A-1 on the counter."

Of course, being who I am, always searching for that elusive question that steers the answers I'm looking for towards me, I then ask, "are we having steak tonight?", to which she gazes in my direction with an odd puzzled look.

So, what's my thinking? It goes like this: clearly, if I want to know if there's A1 on the counter, the question to ask is, "is there ketchup in the fridge; incidentally, asking the question you want an answer to also elicits information about what's for supper tonight. So, being who I am, always looking for that elusive right question to ask that'll actually spawn an answer to MY question, I will ask, "is there A-1 on the counter"?

I will tell you from experience, this never works. It never (ever) dawns on the person responding that there's a serious disconnect between what was asked and the response given. After all, if one were to have asked for answer sheets after being given answer sheets, they don't readily recognize you're really an asshole instead of an idiot.

So, this brings us back to having to ask the very same question to the very same person (in such a way) that doesn't incorporate irrelevancies in their answers; hence, we must ask, "can I get a copy of the video lessons on a jump drive?" in such a way that doesn't spawn answers to questions not asked like, "could I get a copy of the answers on something like an answer sheet?"

My suggestion, thence, is to incorporate a little show and tell. Remember, these are educators, so eye contact is important. Hand carry your very jump drive and explain the situation. Let the person see you have it while discussing the situation.

 

[braces_for_impact]

Yeah, it can be a pain in the ass. I found my own workaround that meets my needs for most things, but it took some research and a bit of technical know how. I couldn't afford cable since my job shipped to the Philippines, so I got a phone with a hotspot and went with Cricket. Cricket is owned by AT&T so tethering via hotspot is relatively easy, and I have unlimited service. I can stream most stuff no problem, but large downloads have to wait until I'm on a better network. I have two small kids, so going to the library isn't really an option. I used to have T-Mobile, and to tether I used to have to encrypt everything or T-Mobile would block it. They wouldn't allow an unlimited data option with a tethering plan. I'm also in school going for my A+, Network+ and Security+ certifications, so the Internet is quite necessary. Not to mention looking for work. Most places require you to apply online now. Good luck to you, I don't think asking for tapes is unreasonable.