what is broadband

What is a Broadband Connection?

Still not quite clear? We are sure that you can appreciate the frustration of waiting for dial-up to the Internet and then waiting again for pages to download. This is especially trying for businesses when emailing a client, sending a large file or trading stocks online. These 56kbps dial-up connections are considered to be narrowband, due to the small amount of data that can be transferred per second. Broadband on the other hand has higher capacity to send much more information, far more quickly. Broadband services provide users with a high speed, "always on" connection to the Internet, removing many of the current frustrations of dial-up access. Another benefit of broadband access is that unlike a 56kbps dial-up modem, it doesn't tie up your telephone line while you're connected to the Internet. Because a full Ethernet is being supplied with our service, all four pairs of wire are used unlike DSL or phone lines which only uses one pair.

What is a BLEC? Most Broadband or DSL providers are CLECS that have to rely on Ameritech to provide you service. We have a unique business model called a BLEC. BLEC stands for building local exchange carrier. Most Broadband providers are CLEC's (Competitive Local Exchange Carriers) meaning that they lease lines from Ameritech and compete for service. Certain areas or pockets that are too far away from Ameritech's office are difficult or impossible for CLEC's to provide service. BLEC's identify these pockets and bring in their own lines to service these areas. Because we are a BLEC, we are a local provider that has roots in this area.

What is DNS? DNS, the Domain Name System, is concerned with converting domain names like Broadband-Wave.com into IP addresses that you can connect to like 192.168.5.25. Before DNS, mapping of names to IP addresses was dealt with by a phone book like file that administrators kept a copy of and updated every few days.

As of this writing there are just under 22.4 million registered com second level domains, 4.3 million net domains, and 2.7 million org domains. The various national domains count for millions more. What is more, this vast ocean of domain names is constantly moving as hosts change IP addresses, new domains are added, and domain names are sold or re-assigned.
This is no place for a static file; what we need, and what we have in place, is a brilliantly designed distributed database called the Domain Name System.

The key to DNS is delegation. The root servers are ultimately responsible for all DNS information. However, the root servers have delegated responsibility for each top level domain to top level domain servers, like the ones that serve com. The com servers are responsible for all domains ending in com, but they delegate responsibility for second level domains like menandmice.com. The servers for menandmice.com can then delegate further. Eventually this chain of delegation will reach a server that can answer the question.

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