— from Chris Brems —
With a shout of “we’re mad as hell and we’re not going to take it anymore,” five residents of the Doe Bay area have formed the Doe Bay Internet Users Association. Chris Sutton, Tony Simpson, Shawn Alexander, Tom Tillman, and Chris Brems have created the new group to explore alternative internet service options for Doe Bay residents.
Doe Bay is at the end of the existing internet service line so residents receive only the service capacity that is left. “Think of it as a water hose,” explained Chris Sutton, spokesman for the group. “If you have two or three or four hoses connected to one line, the person at the far end receives only a trickle of water.”
Despite years of complaints by residents regarding speed and dropped service, there has been no effort made by CenturyLink, the current internet provider, to solve the core capacity problem. “CenturyLink has oversold its ability to serve the Doe Bay area,” said Sutton. “Residents are paying for a service they don’t receive.”
Some residents report that they are often unable to access the internet between the hours of 4 p.m. and 10 p.m. Others report being online and then the connection is dropped, and they are unable to reconnect.
Washington State’s average internet speed is reported to be 8.51 mbps. An internet speed of 1.5 mbps is the fastest speed offered to Doe Bay residents, and residents report that even when they are able to log on, they seldom receive that speed.
“We’ve already started our explorations.” Sutton elaborated. “We have been in contact with OPALCO and also with an off-island service provider that uses microwave wireless. So far our initial research says – from both a technology and a cost standpoint – that it appears to be possible to accomplish our goal of offering Doe Bay residents a more reliable and faster internet service.”
To contact DBIUA, info@dbiua.org.
It’s a great thing you are doing!!! Keep us posted, we want on!
A big thank you from the very end of the hose in Eagle Lake!
Another frustrated DSL user here at the other end of Eagle Lake — good initiative, I’m on!
At 91, no car, and undependable phone service it is my only connection with the outside world!
Keep me posted.
Just learned tonight that Deer Harbor is launching a similar investigation….
Doe Bay Resort & Retreat fully supports your endeavor to seek alternative internet sources and would gladly lend our assistance and/or voice in an effort to further your explorations. As you can imagine, the challenges we face as a business situated “at the end of the hose” have great impact on our day-to-day operations as well as guest confidence in our ability to supply a reliable and strong wi-fi connection (no doubt, a necessary feature in today’s lodging industry).
Chris,
We would be happy to assist with your efforts in your internet connection issues. I can check into things with our engineers. Please send us an email if you would like our help with this TalkToUs@Centurylink.com