By ALEX PAJUNAS

When Kim Carpenter wanted to try and order tickets online to see the reality show andquot;So You Think You Can Danceandquot; in person, she knew her dial-up Internet conection at home would be too slow.

Instead she hurried into the Charter Communications office on Saturday, where she works as a customer service representative. Charter, like many downtown Baker City businesses, can take advantage of the free wireless Internet, or hotspot, extending between along Main Street between between Church Street and Auburn Ave.

Though Carpenter was unsuccessful in purchasing a ticket they sold out within 10 minutes of going on sale the Historic Baker City wi-fi hotspot has been a popular feature with tourists, downtown businesses and anyone with a laptop who wants to check the news and grab a cup of coffee in the morning.

andquot;The first thing I hear from visitors is you have an amazing downtown,andquot; said Ann Mehaffey, director of Historic Baker City, Inc. andquot;There is very little (real estate) for sale downtown anymore.andquot;

Due to the success of the two wireless antennae, Mehaffey said a third could be added to the Antlers Hotel building to extend wireless access along Broadway and out to 2nd and 3rd Street.

andquot;We are always looking for ways to enhance downtown and make it more consumer friendly,andquot; Mehaffey said.

Though visitors such as those attending this summer’s biker rally have been impressed with the wi-fi service, Laurie Scorby, of Davis Computer Services Inc., has talked with people who have moved to Baker City and are andquot;appalled by the lack of (Internet service) options.andquot;

andquot;Dial-up and DSL (Digital Subscriber Line) are the main options for people,andquot; Scorby said.

If you like to send and receive photos, download music, take part in online auctions, research school projects or do banking online, purchasing a high speed Internet service such as DSL is ideal.

Or if you still use your Internet mainly for email and staying in touch with friends and family, 56kbs dial-up services are available.

DSL uses copper telephone lines to transmit information at speeds from 128 kbs (kilobytes per second) up to 7 mbs (million bytes per second) which is well over 50 times the 56kbs speed typically found with dial up.

Besides the greater speed over dial-up, DSL does not tie up the phone line and can operate through your home’s existing phone lines.

However the actual speed of your service depends on the quality of the phone line and your distance from the Internet provider’s central office.

andquot;DSL is widely available in town. The bulk of the people I check have lines that qualify,andquot; Scorby said of the Qwest-owned phone lines that were upgraded, making DSL available to Baker City three years ago.

There are a variety of different options for DSL service in Baker City. Davis Computer Services, Inc. and bakervalley.net offer DSL through United Communications, Inc., a regional telecommunications company that buys space on the phone lines owned by Qwest. DSL service starts at $26.95 per month for 128kbs including free installation.

One other piece of equipment needed before you are ready for DSL service is a modem to convert audio data from the phone line to digital data for your computer. Modems can be rented for $5 per month or purchased for $74.95.

Bakervalley.net and UNICOM also offer a bundled service that includes DSL, a phone line and long distance service.

Another local option is Eastern Oregon Net, Inc. located in La Grande. EONI works with Qwest and provides local service wherever Qwest DSL is available.

Prices start at $26 for 256k DSL service, and you can rent a modem for $5 or purchase one for $60.

Until October 14, Qwest will be offering 1.5mbs monthly service for $31.99, including a $13 savings. An additional $5 a month can be saved for each additional service you purchase through Qwest such as wireless phone service, long distance or digital TV. Modem prices are the same as those offered by EONI.

While Qwest offers the most affordability Jeff Crews the Vice President of EONI believes local service providers have competitive prices and offer better technical support over national companies.

andquot;Local people know what works and what doesn’t,andquot; Crews said. andquot;(Customers) appreciate talking to people in the area. I don’t know where they answer the phones at Qwest.andquot;

Both Davis Computer Services, Inc. and EONI recommend calling in order to receive more accurate price quotes and determine whether your phone line is qualified for DSL service.

andquot;Prices have come down since (DSL service began three years ago,andquot; Scorby said. andquot;It’s hard to give a firm price because of taxes from the (Qwest owned) phone lines.andquot;

Another reason to call a service provider is to determine the compatibility of DSL with your computer. If you have an older computer, will it be able to process and take advantage of high speed Internet?

If DSL seems a bit extravagent, 56k dial-up services are still available and EONI offers free dial-up accelerator software which can make 56kbs dial-up speeds three to five times faster.

For those living in rural areas where DSL is not available outside, another option if you want high speed service is satellite Internet.

andquot;(Satellite technology) is fairly new but is growing fast,andquot; said Mike Mastrude, who runs Blue Sky Satellite, a dealership for Wild Blue Satellite.

Since he began the business in December, Mastrude has installed 60 Wild Blue satellite dishes, and has recently helped people in Western Heights and Pine Creek.

andquot;Most of them can get dial-up, but this is way faster and you are not tying up the phone line,andquot; Mastrude said.

Wild Blue uses a satellite with 31 spot beams each covering part of the contiguous United States. Each beam has a certain bandwidth. Like a water pipe that has reached its capacity, when bandwidth is used up no more customers can be added.

According to Mastrude, Wild Blue has seen enough growth to create the need for a $250 million satellite to overlap spot beams and provide more bandwidth to meet the demands of rural Internet subscribers.

Mastrude who has satellite Internet at his home in Baker City, says the dish provides consistent Internet speeds and hold up well in inclement weather.

Depending on his schedule, Mastrude can get satellite service installed within a few days.

Alpine Alarm in Richmond is a second local dealer of satellite Internet, specializing in HughesNet satellites. Pricing begins at $59.99 for 700kbs. Activation is free and Equipment and installation costs $399.98 after a $100 mail in rebate.

Wild Blue starts at $49.95 per month for 512kbs. Standard equipment costs $299 while installation is free. Mastrude said a September promotion will reduce equipment costs to $199

andquot;People who have moved from across the country, have bought satellite Internet because they are desperate for high speed,andquot; Scorby said.

She added unless you have never had high speed Internet, most people have a hard time going back to the slower speeds of dial-up.

Library offers Internet, too

If prices remain too pricey to justify a change from dial-up service, the library offers free Internet.

andquot;We have three wireless routers in the building which reach into the park and both ends of the (library),andquot; said Jim White, Technology Director for Library Districts.

There are 30 public computers in three separate rooms for the public to use. One room is for children 10 and younger, a second room is for teens and includes online games, and the third room is for adults.

In July, the library switched from DSL to fiber optics, which provide bandwidth that is unavailable with any other technology.

andquot;DSL couldn’t handle the amount of traffic we had,andquot; White said. andquot;Nothing but problems. We haven’t had a problem once since going over to the (fiber optics).andquot;

Due to DSL’s inability to handle the high traffic at the library, Internet connections would often be disrupted.

andquot;There was no drop off in people coming in but they were unhappy,andquot; said White. andquot;People pay taxes to the library. We want to make sure they get good service.andquot;

Aside from offering the public an air conditioned place for free high speed Internet, the Baker County Library has a station set up for genealogy research. Using a subscription to Heritage Quest, library patrons can find census information dating back to the 1700s.

andquot;It is much better online than searching through 30 years of papers,andquot; White said.

A second popular service according to White, is the online collection of Chilton’s car repair manuals. Other services include access to periodical archives, career information, historic photo exhibits, and academic and licensing tests.

andquot;The whole scope of the library has expanded beyond books,andquot; White said. andquot;It’s now a social center for the whole community.

Even at 11 a.m. on a late Summer Tuesday many of the computers are in use.

andquot;We have people lined up at 10 and staying ’til close,andquot; said White. andquot;This place has never been busier.andquot;

DIAL UP PRICES:

Baker Valley Net: Standard monthly account for unlimited Internet use is $22.50 while an annual account costs $18 a month. Cheaper services are also offered. A Daytime Account with access from 5 a.m. to 5 p.m. as well as an Efficiency Account good for 15 hours of access per month

EONI: Basic Account with unlimited access and free dial-up accelerator software making your connection three to five times faster costs $18 per month and an annual account is less than $17

Also offered is a Lite Account for 15 hours a month

Qwest offers MSN Dial-Up for $18.95 per month if you have a Qwest home phone package

GLOSSARY:

Bandwidth: A measure of the capacity of a communications channel. The higher the bandwidth, the more information it can carry.

Broadband: Refers to high speed data transmission through a phone line such as DSL.

DSL: Digital Subscriber Line shares the same phone line as the telephone service, but it uses a different bandwidth which keeps the line open for phone conversations.

Hotspot: area where computers can connect to a free wireless Internet signal.

kbs: kilobytes per second of information transferred. A byte is used to measure transmission speeds.

Modem: Used to convert the digital signal from a computer to an analogue signal which is then transmitted through a phone line.

Wi-fi: Wireless fidelity uses radio-frequency technology allowing laptop users to access the Internet in hotspots.

DSL Service:

Qwest:

Great Value Package: 256kbs

Regular Price: $31.99

Price with Bundle Discount: $26.99

Increased Productivity Package: 1.5 Mbs

Regular Price: $44.99

Price through October 14:$31.99

Price with Bundle Discount $26.99

Fastest Speed Package: 3-5Mbs

Regular Price: $54.99

Price through October 14: $36.99

Price with Bundle Discount: $31.99

Eastern Oregon Net, Inc.

Qwest Choice: 256kbs for $26

Qwest Choice Deluxe: 1.5Mbs for $34

Premier: 3-7Mbs for $48

Baker Valley Net (UNICOM)

Choice DSL: 128kbs for $26.95

Choice DSL: 256kbs for $31.95

Choice DSL Deluxe: 1.5Mbs for $39.94

Premier: 3-5Mbs for $59.95

Premier: 7Mbs for $84.95

Satellite Service:

Wild Blue

Value Pack: 512kbs for $49.95

Select Pack: 1Mbs for $69.95

Pro Pack: 1.5 Mbs for $79.95

Free Installation

Equipment Price $299

Hughes Net

Home: 700kbs for $59.99

Pro: 1 Mbs $69.99

ProPlus: 1.5Mbs for $79.99

For more information:

Davis Computer Services, Inc.

Phone: (541) 523-0270

Eastern Oregon Net, Inc.

Telephone:?541-962-7873 or 800-785-7873

Qwest

Phone:

1-888-777-9569

Blue Sky Satellite

541-403-0529

Alpine Alarm

541-893-6911