DSL vs. Cable: Cities Face Difficult Choice in Battle of the Broadbands
by Chris Noyes
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Trying to determine which high-speed Internet connection is right for your city or organization can be daunting. It seems that everyone has a high-speed (broadband) connection these days, and all of the telecommunications companies bombarding you with advertisements for their business can make you feel like the geeky kid in the middle of a dodge ball game.
If you are still using dial-up modem service, you really are missing out on all the advantages of broadband. These advantages include not waiting for important e-mails, or wasting time researching Web sites that seem to take forever to come up. They also include not having to kick coworkers off the phone or fax machine because you need to use the phone line to check your e-mail. The time wasted in these ways costs money.
You may want to consider a high-speed DSL or cable connection if your city can’t spend about $1,000 every month for a reliable T1 line. If you currently are using one of those low-cost dial-up services – typically costing under $20 per month – you know the frustration of getting disconnected from your Internet service provider (ISP), or waiting eons for simple e-mail attachments to get to your inbox. If you can afford broadband, then I recommend you get it. Compared to dial-up service, the difference will be like night and day.
There are many companies out there that offer DSL (digital subscriber line) service, and many others that offer high-speed cable service. Here’s the lowdown on both.
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Digital Subscriber Line (DSL)
You don’t need a special type of line installed to get this service; it comes over a standard telephone line. However, you will need to have someone come out to your facility to do some special wiring in your telephone closet before you can get a good signal from the phone company. Also, proximity to the central office of your local DSL provider is essential to getting the service at your location. You must be within 2 or 3 miles of this central office, because that’s where the telephone company has its switching equipment. The further you are away from this equipment, the slower your signal will be.
A potential disadvantage of certain kinds of DSL service is that nearby structures such as an AM radio tower can affect your bandwidth. DSL service also can be affected by radio frequency interference, which can be generated by certain types of dimmer switches, halogen lighting and other electrical devices. (DSL works by utilizing the unused frequencies above those in normal voice communication, while high-speed cable is not affected as much by interference due to the heavier insulation of the coaxial cable that is used.)
Once you’re on DSL, security is a significant concern, especially in these times. Since the Internet connection is always on, you will have to install some security measures, including firewalls and virus-scanning software, to keep your network safe. Don’t ever count on your ISP’s security to keep your computers safe. Get some third-party hardware or software to keep snooping eyes off your data.
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Cable Internet Connection
If you already have cable service to your building and your local cable provider offers high-speed Internet service, you can get this. Be sure to visit the cable provider’s Web site, which will have all of the details on costs, etc.
High-speed cable is made available by having a technician come out to your location and hook up a coaxial cable from the cable company’s equipment to a cable modem. The modem is hooked into a network interface card (NIC) inside each of your personal computers. There is no software to install with this option. In other words, it’s easier to set up high-speed cable than DSL.
Theoretically, you can get much faster downloads from high-speed cable service than from DSL, but in practice, it’s not likely. You’d have to be the only one in your neighborhood with this type of service, since bandwidth is shared by all subscribers in the area.
Because you share the high-speed Internet connection with the rest of the people in your neighborhood, security is slightly different with cable Internet service. However, just as with DSL, you should get some security other than that provided by your ISP. A good software firewall is available at your local computer retail chain or online store. There also are good hardware firewalls available for all sizes of organizations.
Conclusion
DSL and Internet cable connections offer similar types of service, from the speed of the connection to multiple e-mail accounts and Web hosting. Whether you get DSL or cable broadband service comes down to one basic determination: price.
Prices are constantly coming down as the big telecom companies duke it out for your business. Look for promotional offers either on these companies’ Web sites or in local advertisements. Also, a good way to find out about which service may be better for your city is to ask around. Find someone in your area who already has DSL or cable Internet service, and ask him or her how the service is.
Finally, there are Web sites that compare broadband companies in your area and how they measure up in reliability and customer service. As a general rule of thumb, if you have had customer service problems with your phone or cable company in the past, chances are you might encounter them with high-speed service.
The Florida League of Cities offers low-cost, high-quality technology services. For more information on how the League can help your city with its technology needs, e-mail Frank Hagy, chief information officer, or call him at (407) 835-3471, ext. 137.
Chris Noyes is a technology services support specialist for the Florida League of Cities.
Reprinted from Quality Cities May/June 2003
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