Wednesday, April 15

Broadband Internet and Information Problems During Hurricanes

Imagine if you will sitting in Florida and watching some 400 channels on your Direct TV and listening to the Hurricane News as one approaches, but it is still too early to tell where it will actually hit. Then one of the outer bands comes over and disrupts your signal, nothing? Bummer indeed, but you still have broadband Direct PC by satellite and it seems to make it through those clouds and so you can surf the NOAA website and get the latest results or watch video streams of the local TV station right?

Sure until all of a sudden that goes out too because the next rain band is much thicker, more precipitation and thus denser clouds and well you cannot get thru. Meanwhile the wind is picking up and it is getting to be Gale Force or Tropical Stormish, but heck you antenna is good for 55 mph and even the occasional gust of 70 probably will not break it, it is pretty tough and you know this from past experience there. Unfortunately the wind gets even more fierce and you are having trouble with your local radio stations, you now have no TV or Internet and have no clue what to do. But you decide to get on the roof and take down that antenna, knowing once you do, then you are really SOL?

Broadband Internet will have signal and information problems during Hurricanes, but then again once the power goes out, you probably cannot watch TV anyway. Safest thing to do is have some extra batteries, as you will be communication blind for a while during these storms you see. Consider all this in 2006.

Lance Winslow

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