High-speed access grows in the Corn Belt

Oh, to be in Iowa, now that spring and high-speed access are there. Last week, MCI became the first of the big three interexchange carriers to announce high-speed access for customers, and in two flavors.

MCI will offer digital subscriber line (DSL) and cable modem connections, along with partners Northwest Iowa Telephone (NWI) and Northwest Iowa Power Cooperative, by fall.

Pioneer Holdings, jointly owned by the three partners, will offer the service in three areas. Talks are also in progress with 300 rural communities in 10 states and Post- Newsweek Cable for several Midwest locations.

The first city, Hawarden, will use hybrid fiber/coax (HFC) connections through its own local network, connecting new bidirectional cable plant hung on power lines by NIPCO, then to the NWI Internet host and on to MCI's backbone. As an alternative to Bell regional holding companies' unbundled local loops, Pioneer will work with cable companies, other power and local Independent telcos, competitive local exchange carriers and cities like Hawarden that build a local access infrastructure.

The Iowa venture started as a high-speed trial, but aggressive interest from NWI head Jon Winkel, coupled with a long-standing relationship with networkMCI Services President John Gerdelman, led to real deployment.

Even though MCI is using HFC as the first access method, the company believes DSL is the stronger choice for access. Existing cable plant is not suitable for two-way use, and rebuilding is expensive, officials said.

DSL trials using unbundled local loops from RHCs are going on in New York City and Detroit, as well as overseas with BT customers, Gerdelman said. " If we can get into Phoenix, Denver, places like that, we can scare the heck out of the [RHCs]. And I don't mind scaring them because I'm tired of being on the defensive.

In the end, it is the rural communities that benefit. During a tour of Iowa facilities last week, John Kounas, a science and computer teacher at a local high school that has had high-speed access for a year, said he has seen less impatient and more involved students.

"We're giving our kids an edge," he said. "It's not only making them more worldly but more realistic of the world."