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Internet users face long wait for DSL Qwest gets OK to improve access By Jessica Smith Many Internet users in the Rogue Valley will continue to the stumble through the "World Wide Wait" until more high-speed Net access is made available in two years. Though a statewide board recently approved $13.1 million in Internet upgrades for five southern counties, Oregon�s largest telephone service provider says it won�t begin installing DSL, or digital subscriber lines, until it finishes a fiber ring that serves as the region�s gateway to the World Wide Web. Gary Miller, area manager for Qwest, said the company expects to complete the fiber ring in 18 months. DSL service, Miller said, won�t be available until late 2002 or early 2003. That�s not quite as quickly as savvy Internet users hoped, but local telecommunication-industry watchers say they�re pleased about Qwest�s future investment in the region. The improvements are part of Qwest�s $70 million plan to provide high-speed access to underserved areas, a result of state Senate Bill 622, which changed the company�s form of regulation in 1999. Earlier this week, the Connecting Oregon Communities Advisory Board approved $13.1 million in improvements for Jackson, Josephine, Douglas, Klamath and Lake counties. Only Jackson, Douglas and Josephine counties will get DSL service through this proposal. The money comes from Qwest, which is funding the state-mandated improvements through customers� bills. "It�s a big deal," said John Irwin, a member of the Southern Oregon Telecommunications and Technology Council. "We got everything we asked for." The proposal goes to the Oregon Economic and Community Development Commission for final approval Feb. 22. In addition to DSL service, the advisory board approved funding to complete a "self-healing" fiber ring that connects the five southern counties. When the ring is finished, Miller said, Internet users will no longer be frustrated by service interruptions from cut transmission lines. The ring will be built to redirect Internet traffic when one route is shut down. Roi Crouch, a consultant for SOTTC, said redundancy built into the fiber ring will likely be a big draw for high-tech employers scouting out the region for possible relocation. Such companies want access to a reliable data transfer service, she said. For residents with computers in their homes, DSL service is expected to produce more tangible benefits. When the service is finally introduced in the five-county region, subscribers will be able to transmit information at a quicker pace than conventional dial-up service allows. "It�s addictive," Crouch said. "Remember when you first got your computer and you asked �How did I live without this?� This has that same thrill." Reach reporter Jessica Smith at 776-4481, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.