Posted by Briland Modem on January 18, 19100 at 16:30:03:
Robert Malone runs Out Island Internet, an ISP located in Abaco. If they can get enough subscribers from Briland Modem on board, they will open access to a local call from Harbour Island and North Eleuthera. In the meantime, they are looking for someone residing on the island [or North Eleuthera] to act as their agent in signing customers up, assigning their preferred user names and passwords, etc. and e-mailing that information on a regular basis back to Abaco. Although the e-mail access involves a long-distance call to Marsh Harbour until they can get the local setup going, the cost is still two-thirds lower than the cost of access to service providers located in the U.S. In the meantime, OII.Net offers a competitive package, as shown below.
I very much appreciate OII.Net's support of area cybercafes, libraries and schools for Internet access for locals, as subsidized by area business use. See below for more details, but I do see how Harbour Island's library and community points would benefit from such an arrangement, much like that which Island Services has offered the island. And we can really start to target those offered donations of hardware and software for the island now!
Your comments, please. If you are in fact interested in becoming OII.Net's agent for North Eleuthera and Harbour Island in return for free Internet access, please buzz me at rum@briland.com at your earliest convenience. If you have a 486 or later model computer that you'd like to donate to the cause, please remember that the Briland Modem Fund is a non-for-profit 501©3, and your donation is in fact tax-deductible.
Kimberly
Reply-To: "Robert Malone" Kimberly, I have checked the phone book (Batelco) and inter-island calls are at the rate of $0.40 per minute-daytime, and $0.30 per minute from 8:00 pm to 6:00am nightly and all day on Sunday. My partner and I are willing to accept subscribers from your area, and consequently add the necessary modems and phone lines here to accommodate the additional customer load. We will, however, need someone on the 'ground' at Eleuthera to act as an Out Island Inter.Net agent to sign customers up, assign Usernames and Passwords, and communicate that info. back here to our office for insertion into our database. Is there such a candidate in that area?? We would naturally provide that person will free access to our Server in their capacity as our Agent, and work out some financial arrangements with them together with a business model for accounting, collection of fees, etc. Here we charge a one-time $100.00 Sign Up fee for ALL accounts. GRUNT 10 hrs. $20.00 p/m *** $2.50 per additional hour We issue each customer with a UserName which indicates his area, his initials, and a sequential number, e.g. mine is MHERM999 (Marsh Harbour East-Robert Malone-999). This makes it easy for us to identify our customers by their user name and so on. You could be "BRIKB123" and would be easily identified by us in our server for example. Here, as our civic duty, we provide free access to the Marsh Harbour Community Library which is staffed by volunteers. This is mainly set up to serve the transient boaters, and those in rented cottages who cannot justify the sign up fees etc. The Library charges $2.00 for the first 5 minutes, and a dollar per minute thereafter. BIG POINT!!! This is for COMPUTER time. The user pays whether he is online surfing the net, reading his mail or just typing letters, etc. The income form this has already paid for their computer, printer, etc. This service was started last July. It has really helped the library. They have now put a/c in and fixed the place up some with these 'donations'. We offer a similar plan for the schools. They get the computers, phone line, etc., and we give free access. We monitor this closely, as sometimes teachers need a little lesson in over-indulgence!!! Generally it works fine. Most are quite responsible. These services can be offered free due to the fact that a large number of our customers are 'part time' residents who maintain regular monthly accounts, and keep them open even when they are not on the Island. If a customer does not wish to do this, then we consider the account closed when he leaves, and he restarts his account with the $100.00 set up fee when he returns. Most just leave the accounts open as they know we offer their unused hours to the schools and library. Other business folks over in Hope Town are setting up a small (2 to 3 computer) cyber booth where second homeowners and boaters may access the netmfor stock trading, emails, etc. They plan to have a $5.00 for up to 15 minutes charge, plus $0.50 per each additional minute. I mention these various efforts to give you some idea just what the user public is prepared to pay for a good, fast, reliable internet connection. (Pat on my back here!!) Would welcome you thoughts on the subject, as we are always looking for ways to expand our service. Robert ----- Original Message ----- Hey there! Let's talk -- At 03:28 PM 1/18/00 -0500, you wrote: I frequently read Briland's Message Board and have seen some of your postings. I am with Out Island Inter.Net here in Abaco, and would love to offer service to subscribers in places outside our local calling area, however, as you know, it would involve a long distance call. If that is not a problem, then we certainly could do it. I would imagine that folks there have pretty much given up on Batelnet as they have done here on Abaco. We are considering setting up a similar service in the Spanish Wells/Harbour Island area, and have the license and people all ready to go. One of the main questions which remains unanswered is "just how many subscribers (potentially) are there in your local calling area"? When we get a better idea of the potential customer base, then I feel that I could convince my partners to move quickly on the project. We are just about to install our first Wireless Network here in Abaco What are the major problems with the service presently offered you now?? Perhaps the same problems as here!! Would like to continue this discussion as it might produce a further incentive for us to move more quickly in your direction. Kindest regards.
Subject: Re: ISP for Briland/Spanish Wells
Date: Tue, 18 Jan 2000 17:41:35 -0500
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We have 3 levels of service that we offer at the moment.
CHUB 25 hrs. $40.00 p/m *** $2.25 per additional hour
BARRACUDA 50 hrs. $60.00 p/m *** $2.00 per additional hour
From: Kimberly King-Burns
Subject: Re: ISP for Briland/Spanish Wells
Yes, it's me ... the erstwhile Brilander
Kimberly
Is that Kimberly?
Which will link all the Cays via microwave to our central tower in Marsh Harbour. The demand for this type of 'unlimited access' here is great. The Hotels, Resorts, Banks, Insurance Companies, etc. all want it.
Robert Malone
Out Island Inter.Net
robert@oii.net