Sniperhill.net provides internet service to the troops and contractors in Iraq at an exorbitant rate. Soldiers are paying $95.00 a month for 128k (Kilobits... Not Kilobytes) service that is unreliable and extremely slow. My old 56k dial up 10 years ago was faster and didn't lose service as often as I do with Sniperhill's "expert" package, which is their top option. It is common to lose service at least once day for one to three hours, and I have lost service for two and three days at a time. This is exacerbated by the fact that my Soldiers work a minimum of 12 hours per day, and I work an average of 16 hours per day. So, when we do get time to use the internet and it is not in service - it is a huge shot to morale. I have tried to conduct research on the company, who looks like they are a subsidiary of DHI Limited (www.dhilimited.com) who are a partner to ScopeSky Communications (www.scopesky.net). None of these companies provide a clear explanation of who they are or how to contact them for complaints. Sniperhill does offer a complaint form that goes to their helpdesk. However, those emails usually fall to a technician who only has the ability to physically repair broken devices in their architecture. There are no competitors to help level the playing field and lower the cost to the consumer. There is also nobody to advocate for the Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines who continue to pay the company money because they have no other option. True, their are DoD computers for soldiers to use, but these systems are restrictive (no social networking sites, no chat etc.), and they are monitored. This is a terrible situation for any consumer, much less those serving their country spending year upon year of their life away from their family.
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