If you are lying in the suburbs or far-off rural areas, streaming content online can be such a frustrating experience at times! You are definitely not alone in this as we have multiple people complaining about this issue on and on. Whether it’s a live sporting event, or your favorite cartoons or documentaries, the constant buffer or low streaming quality can easily kill the vibe instantly.  As the online streaming services are becoming a daily norm for entertainment for millions of people across the globe, the rural internet faces the real challenge as the ruralites are unable to enjoy streaming services up to its full potential. Today we will tell you about all the challenges the rural community faces as well as how to overcome them and enjoy a seamless streaming experience!

Some Major Streaming Challenges And Their Solutions

Below we have mentioned a few main problems that are commonly faced by the rural people when it comes to streaming their content as well as their possible solutions to help you combat those issues:

Slow Internet Speed

This is the most common issue faced by people who reside in the suburbs. Even if they have an internet connection installed, the speed is usually not up to the mark. This causes their streaming experience to get more frustrating. According to the FCC (Federal Communications Commission), the minimum broadband speed for downloads is 25 Mbps and 3 Mbps for uploads. However, a lot of rural areas fall far below this threshold even today.

According to the FCC reports of 2020, over 14 million ruralites of America still don’t have access to a broadband connection. Whereas in some areas, internet speeds can drop as low as 1 to 3 Mbps, making it impossible to stream high definition content. If you compare these numbers to the recommended figures from Netflix, they suggest a minimum of 5 Mbps for streaming HD and content and 25 Mbps for streaming 4K content. Now imagine how the ruralites will ever be able to finish even a single episode of their favorite series in such conditions!

How To Overcome This Problem

Upgrade Your Internet Speed

This one is no magic. If your rural internet speed is slow, sometimes it simply requires an upgrade. You can check with your internet service provider to see what sort of upgrade packages they have for your area. You might end up finding a good deal on it. You can even search for other options such as purchasing a satellite based internet like Starlink that can deliver up to a 100 Mbps speed in the rural areas.

Data Compression

Streaming platforms realize the slow speed problems faced by rural areas. Hence, they offer a data compression option that aims to decrease data usage. This allows the users to stream content on slower connections.

Wireless Internet

You can opt for a wireless internet connection as well. These connections use radio signals instead of underground cable systems to provide internet service. This is a more reliable and faster option.

Lack of infrastructure

Many rural areas don’t have the setup for internet connections. Even if some do, it isn’t capable of supporting high speed internet. Investors are not keen on installing expensive fiber-optics in such low density areas in terms of population as the profit margins are simply not enough. The difficult terrain and geographical location also makes it challenging to install a new setup. This leaves many ruralites with an outdated setup. 

How To Overcome This Problem

Fixed Wireless Networks

This setup is relatively easier to install instead of fiber-optics and more cost effective. Lobbying in the community to set up a fixed wireless internet network will be fruitful for all the internet users in that community. Fixed wireless network is able to cover large rural areas through a series of towers which transmit internet signals without needing a heavy infrastructure.

Government Initiatives and Grants

The government is trying to take positive steps towards digitalizing the rural areas such as building new infrastructure and giving grants to the local communities to sort out their issues accordingly. People should take advantage of this situation and raise their voice for the betterment of internet infrastructure. When the government officials will know and recognize the seriousness of this issue, they will definitely cooperate further. Ruralites can then invest the government granted funds to install an internet infrastructure that suits their community needs.

Data Caps 

In many rural areas, the ISPs put strict data caps that slow down your rural internet significantly when you reach the data limits of your connection. After this limit exceeds you have to pay extra charges to continue using your internet on faster speeds. This can be a problem for a single household where multiple people are using the internet. A standard definition video takes 1 GB of data per hour and an HD video takes up to 3 GBs of data. A small household having a data cap of 100 GBs will easily consume all of it pretty quickly.

How To Overcome This Problem

Use data management

YOu can tweak the settings of your streaming service to manage your data cap. Many online streaming platforms allow you to limit the data usage or to consume less data while streaming content.

Upgrade data plans

You can simply check for any good offers provided by your ISPs and upgrade your data plans. Many service providers have the option to purchase bulk data at cheaper prices. You can take advantage of this and buy large amounts of data in one go rather than getting small amounts of data for shorter periods as this might be more expensive in the long run.

Conclusion

Due to the limited scope of rural internet, these areas face significantly more challenges as compared to their urban counterparts. From slow speeds, to data usage limitations and lack of infrastructure, all of these issues will take time to resolve given the current economic situation. However, with the suggestions provided in this article, you will be able to enjoy your content streaming and other internet activities smoothly.