Frequently Asked Questions

What is Broadband?

Sometimes referred to as a high-speed internet, broadband is an ‘always on’ fast connection to the internet that offers speeds ten times faster than dial-up. There are a wide variety of broadband technologies available in most areas; two of the more commonly found and used are cable and DSL broadband.

The term broadband is synonymous with ‘high-speed internet’ generally greater than 200 kilobits per second (kbps), significantly higher speeds than can be reached on dial-up modems. Broadband speeds vary significantly, depending on the type, and level, of service ordered.

Why is Broadband Important?

Broadband is critical for communities to attract new development and businesses, and for supporting the growth of existing business. It is quickly becoming considered a utility, the same as electricity and telephone service. The leadership of Campbell County recognizes the potential of broadband to serve as a transformative technology to ensure that the community is economically well-positioned and socially well-served into the future. Viewed as an economic and community development tool, broadband has the evolving and ever-increasing capacity to transmit voice, data and video communications over time in ways that can favorably, and often profoundly, change lives. It is not broadband in and of itself that is transformative, but rather the applications enabled by broadband technology that can exert an increasingly positive influence over time in the community.

What Types of Broadband Are Available?

Cable

Cable Internet is a form of broadband Internet access that uses the cable television infrastructure. Layered on top of the existing cable television network infrastructure, cable Internet bridges the last mile from the Internet provider to the subscriber. Cable networks and telephone networks are the two predominant forms of residential Internet access.

Cellular

Mobile broadband or cellular wireless are names used to describe various types of wireless high-speed internet access through a portable modem, cellular telephone or other portable device.

Digital Subscribe Line (DSL)

DSL is a family of technologies that provides digital data transmission over the wires of a local telephone network. DSL is generally used for residential or small business Internet service.

High Speed Internet (HSI)

High-Speed Internet (HSI) is the name used by Embarq to provide broadband using Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line (ADSL) technology. ADSL is a form of DSL, a data communications technology that enables faster data transmission over copper telephone lines than a conventional voiceband modem can provide. It does this by utilizing frequencies that are not used by a voice telephone call.

Satellite

Satellite Internet services are used in locations where standard Internet access is not available. Internet access via satellite is available worldwide, including vessels at sea and mobile land vehicles. The satellite dish at each location must be precisely pointed to avoid interference with other satellites and generally must have an unobstructed line-of-sight to the satellite.

 Wireless

Wireless internet access service is a local area network (LAN) run by radio waves rather than wires. Wireless internet access is broadcast from a central hub which is a hard-wired device that actually brings in the Internet connection. Wireless internet access is sometimes referred to as a "hot spot".