5 Things You Need to Know about Fiber Optic Internet

SPONSORED — How would life be if only ten percent of the population had electricity in their homes? Well, that’s how the United States looked circa the 1930s, prior to Franklin D. Roosevelt’s revolutionary bill to make electrical power accessible throughout rural America. At that time, 90 percent of citizens living in rural communities had no access to electric service, according to the Roosevelt Institute.

Though electricity is a given these days, widespread high-speed Internet is not. That’s why President Barack Obama has made history in recent weeks with his announcement of a new initiative to support community broadband projects. Community broadband — which includes the use of ultra-fast fiber Internet — could revolutionize the country just as electricity did in the 1930’s. How so? Well, first it’s important to understand a bit about fiber Internet.

Most Americans don’t understand it

Internet access is Internet access, right? Not really. Unfortunately, whether connected via DSL, cable or fiber, most Americans don’t understand exactly how they’re accessing the Internet. After all, for most people, it’s all about the end results: checking email, accessing a business server or trading fantasy football players. But what Americans may not realize is that fiber Internet could be the way of the future — and that’s exactly why President Obama is now supporting its use in widespread community Internet projects.

It’s all about glass

Fiber optics are long, thin fibers created from glass that are hair-thin in diameter. When bundled together, these fibers use light to transmit data across long distances with incredible speed. Compared with copper wires, fiber optics carries much higher frequency ranges. And since glass does not conduct electricity, fiber is much less susceptible to noise and connectivity issues due to electrical interference.

It’s faster than you think

It’s no secret that fiber Internet is fast. But how fast is fast? Fiber Internet can download information from the Internet at up to 1,000 megabytes (or one gigabyte) per second, which is 100 times faster than most Americans’ Internet, according to the White House blog. This means that you can download a high-definition movie in as little as 8 seconds, as opposed to 22 minutes with other connections. And that means binge watching movies and TV series just got easier.

It could help improve the economy

That’s right, fiber Internet isn’t just about downloading movies quickly. With high-speed, high-power connectivity, businesses have greater access to online tools and cloud-based services, enabling them to become more competitive — not to mention that widespread fiber Internet can help connect consumers and e-commerce businesses around the nation. According to Obama, fiber Internet can help spur economic revitalization in communities throughout the country.

It’s becoming more available

While fiber Internet isn’t as widespread as DSL or cable, it’s becoming more so all the time as consumers, businesses and communities begin to recognize the benefits of its ultra-fast and reliable service. And, with the president’s support of the broadband initiative, access to fiber is bound to spread quickly.

Here’s the good news

“Fiber optic Internet is the gold standard when delivering consistently fast, reliable Internet connectivity to consumers,” says Ken Baldwin, General Manager for Frontier Communications. “And the good news is that Frontier has a very robust fiber network throughout the north and east Puget Sound areas. We have a complete suite of residential and commercial fiber optic Internet products and very competitive prices,” Baldwin says. “We are delivering today on President Obama’s vision of tomorrow…and that is great news!”

For more information regarding Frontier Fiber Optic Internet visit Frontier.