(BPT) - Moving to rural Oklahoma from Denver, presented Mike Thomas new challenges in connecting to the online world. As a small business manager who works from home, Thomas grew increasingly frustrated with his poor Internet connection. Because he no longer had access to a reliable high-speed Internet connection, tasks that once took seconds to complete in his previous suburban home turned into several frustrating minutes at his new location.

Like Thomas experienced in Oklahoma, there are still many parts of the country where rural residents have been underserved by broadband providers. But that's rapidly changing.

Recently DISH, the satellite TV provider, partnered with Exede to bring DISH high-speed satellite Internet from Exede to rural areas.

"The cumulative time I was spending in a month waiting to download and upload simple files added up to a full workday," says Thomas. "I was pulling my hair out before wasting time waiting online. Now, with high-speed satellite Internet, I can multitask online. A work file that previously took 10 minutes to send now takes seconds."

The availability of broadband by satellite gives many residents in rural communities access to high-speed Internet for the first time. DISH's service offers 4G level speeds of up to 12Mbps downloads, which is easily enough to allow viewing of video clips without the jittering caused by buffering.

"Living in rural America doesn't have to mean going without broadband Internet," says Brian McIntyre, vice president of Broadband at DISH. "With DISH's broadband service, rural residents can access and engage in a robust Internet experience that enables them to do more online, faster."

Broadband Internet makes possible a number of activities that would be frustrating with a dial-up or a slow-speed connection. If you're unfamiliar with the capabilities of broadband Internet, here are a few activities that are made possible with a high-speed connection:

* Social media. The popularity of social media sites like Facebook, Twitter and Tumblr has soared as families and friends have discovered this as a great way to interact, share pictures and stay in touch.

* Online shopping. Residents in rural areas who live hours away from popular retail centers can conveniently shop for the newest products online and enjoy the added benefit of home delivery.

* Music streaming. The explosion of available streaming services has altered the way many consumers listen to music, with high-quality on-demand streaming made possible through increased Internet speeds.

* Tele-commuting. Those who have tried logging on to their company's server without a high-speed connection know that it's nearly impossible to access files and transmit information fast enough to work efficiently. A high-speed connection can make working from home a viable option where it may not have been in the past.

* Online training. The ability to take classes online has greatly expanded the opportunities for all types of students, particularly those living far away from schools.

In addition to these specific uses, a faster connection simply enhances the user's online experience and means less waiting and completing tasks more efficiently.

"This is an outstanding service, especially for users beyond the reach of a regular broadband network," McIntyre continues. "Similar to broadband on mobile devices, there are usage limits in satellite broadband. DISH offers data plans starting at 10 GB, which is sufficient for most users."

For more information on high-speed satellite broadband packages, visit www.dish.com or call 888-433-4581.