Check with your local cellphone providers to see if they provide a 3G Internet or better yet a 4G Internet service. I live in rural America, and I have the 4G of which I am extremely happy with. Yes it is more costly than traditional ISPs, but it is cheaper than Hughes. And in my area there are no traditional ISPs.

I feel your frustration.

DA

It's not clear from your description what you have - is it DSL?

One disadvantage you face by having a rural location is that the two most common internet signal sources - satellite or via a cell phone carrier - also severely limit how much data you use. Neither is likely to provide an affordable means for using Netflix regularly. One movie could exhaust your month's data quota. I'm not a rural person, but the unavailability of an adequate internet signal that so many of you face would be too big of a sacrifice for me.

1.5 Megs, if that's what you're referring to, is really not enough to stream video anyway.

A hot spot is a device that takes an internet signal, like from a cell carrier, and broadcasts a Wifi signal that your devices can connect to.

Good luck.

You should check to see if there is a wide area wireless in your area. I was surprised in rural NE Oklahoma when I found that (ten years ago) there was...and I subscribed to it for the remainder of my time living there.

As a reference here's my provider's data use examples for its 3G service.

DA

Here is a link that might be useful: Data Use Examples

All,thanks for input & understanding.It is DSL.I formerly could stream movies & Netflix loaded immediately.Netflix doesn't buffer.It shuts off & saves your place.Tomorrow may bring some changes as my husband called the tech who shut me down.Just so happens tech is someone we have known forever...Had it been a stranger I would have taken him to task on the spot but I didn't want to cross a friend.Also didn't realize the full ramifications of being slowed down.Daughter is a writer & comes home to edit her work & this will be impossible as it is.I'm checking with folks who have Smartphones to see what the capabilities are.DA gave me some ideas to look into tomorrow..
Rose

Similar thing happened to my brother about 6 months ago. He lives in a rurual area in Pa and had Verizon DSL for a long time working fine then he came back from vacation one day and internet and phone were out. Tech came and fixed it and it just was not the same again. Slow and lots of disconnects and phone kept going out and finally after they sent the 3rd tech that guy told him he should find another provider, couldn't believe that.

He was able to switch to Comcast for phone and internet and problems went away so he has no clue what Verizon did to his DSL or why it couldn't be fixed right.

If you connect through a phone with 4g if you use the internet a lot you will burn through the allowed data. Even if you get Verizon with one of those things where you can have internet any where you only get so much. Elderly lady I know didn't realize what she was getting when she got the Verizon jet pack or what ever and kept having overages big time costing her a bundle until someone explained to her she needs home internet not that. Why they sold her that is beyond me but maybe she didn't explain her needs right to Verizon.

I have unlimited internet on my phone but the mobile hot spot they give me is only 3gig so no way would I use it to watch a movie on my tablet in the car or anything.

It sounds like someone goofed and you were paying for slow speed but they gave you the faster speed and when they discovered it put you at what you were paying for yes? Mary

Mary,No it is not a matter of what I'm paying. I've offered to pay whatever they would want for higher speed.. .Friend??tech didn't call so I imagine he didn't want to say I'm up the creek.SOL or whatever.I'm limping along actually been able to do most things,just slower.Even watched a movie on Netflix on my tablet.
Rose

Strange they tell you that option for fast is no longer available, never heard of that. What ISP is this? Sounds like they are crooks and I would report them to someone and complain or call back and speak to a higher up. Mary

DSL is distance dependent. When DSL was being first rolled out some years ago, the phone companies ran fiber-optic lines out from their central stations to create neighborhood and area "hubs". Early on, most phone companies wouldn't accept a DSL order if the distance from the hub was more than about 15,000 feet (wire feet, not as the crow flies). I think they go a bit farther now, but the speed capability falls off significantly at that point. There's little or nothing a tech can do if a particular connection is at the extreme end of the distance spec.

Internet signals from a cable provider use a different technology and are both faster and less distance dependent.

Friend tech called me.Then supervisor called me..They have agreed to switch me back to my former speed.on a trial basis.They can't believe that I had trouble free service out here for a long time. Supervisor was a tad on the short side.He said I should have gone to the casino & bet my house on something because I was so lucky that day.(Meaning I was lucky to get hooked up to that speed to begin with).& to have it work.I told him it not only worked but I had streamed & watched many brand new movies.I don't do that anymore because it is a good way to get computer screwed up.I learned how to do this on this forum..IAnyway,I will be put back to my faster speed Mon.. I've learned that if some day I can't connect to just be patient & never,never call providers.Get this,lady tech called & said she would be setting me back & price would be $29.95.I've been paying $34.99 since the beginning..I am very happy & a little apprehensive thinking maybe they might screw me up to say I told you so.Could they do that?Tech said this AM they had been monitoring my speed the past few days.Hope there isn't a way they can read my stuff.LOL
Rose

What the heck kind of internet provider is this? Maybe it's me but I have never heard such baloney in my life. Be patient and never call providers? You were lucky to be hooked up to that speed to begin with? So does this mean they offer a faster speed? Very confused on what you say about all this. Any time I have a problem I think is not on my end you can bet I am on the phone with time warner to correct it. Mary

Mary,Oh yes they advertise 20 megs speed on TV all the time.It is just not for rural customers on antiquated lines.They think it spells too many "truck" calls..It will probably remain like this until a housing addition springs up across the road.I had a heck of a time getting anything other than Dial up until I came across a sympathetic lady tech.She was warned I would be nothing but trouble.Not true at all.
Rose

Well that really stinks. It's obvious they can put the rural customers at a faster speed so why should they be discriminated against because they live out farther. Mary