[lug] OT: (I think) Starting an ISP...

[Brian Jarrett]

Hello all.

I've now moved to Parachute, which is on the western slope.  The only
ISP possibilities right now are dialup out of Rifle, broadband through
Earthlink (or similar) satellite service, or wireless broadband through
netbeam.  There is fiber running down the middle of the interstate, but
I'm doubting I could tap into it.

I've been brainstorming possibilities.  There is no good computer shop
around here, so I'm thinking of starting one, and I've also wondered
what it would take to start an ISP.  I know some have worked on co-op
networks and I'm wondering what it would take to start one, and what
other possibilities there might be.  I guess I'm just too cheap to pay
the high monthly fee and don't like the proprietary equipment that the
satellite and wireless services require you to buy.  I was thinking,
however, that maybe I could get one of these connections and allow
others to connect through it too so we could share the cost.

The other possibility would be to become a full-blown ISP, but that may
be more than I can handle right now.  I would prefer to offer others
high-speed access, but DSL and CableModems are out of the question, so
I'd have to set up wireless too.

Any ideas/comments would be most appreciated.

Brian