Neither Microsoft nor Bill Gates owns a corporate jet, and Bill still flies coach on commercial airlines. So does everyone else in the company for that matter--unless you either pay the difference yourself or use your frequent flier miles. The only exception is international flights more than 8 hours long, in which case the company will (grudgingly) pay for business class.
"Bill and his mates" do, however, allow themselves one excess--they get to ride the executive shuttle buses around campus. These buses go directly to the execs' destinations, rather than making stops along the way. When your time is scheduled in 10-minute increments throughout the day, this is a necessary perk.
Since a cellular phone works in your area, you can probably also use CDPD. CDPD is a wireless data service that operates at 19.2Kbps. You can purchase this service, which operates with a CDPD modem (widely available in PCMCIA form), for about $55 a month from AT&T Wireless Services. If you're in the Chesapeake Bay area, you can probably also buy it from BAMS for around the same price. You can improvise whatever technical solution you like in conjunction with the CDPD service. While the CDPD service may seem pricy, it'll be much less than a cellular phone, and isn't much more than you'd pay for a home security service on land.
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Neither Microsoft nor Bill Gates owns a corporate jet, and Bill still flies coach on commercial airlines. So does everyone else in the company for that matter--unless you either pay the difference yourself or use your frequent flier miles. The only exception is international flights more than 8 hours long, in which case the company will (grudgingly) pay for business class.
"Bill and his mates" do, however, allow themselves one excess--they get to ride the executive shuttle buses around campus. These buses go directly to the execs' destinations, rather than making stops along the way. When your time is scheduled in 10-minute increments throughout the day, this is a necessary perk.
Since a cellular phone works in your area, you can probably also use CDPD. CDPD is a wireless data service that operates at 19.2Kbps. You can purchase this service, which operates with a CDPD modem (widely available in PCMCIA form), for about $55 a month from AT&T Wireless Services. If you're in the Chesapeake Bay area, you can probably also buy it from BAMS for around the same price. You can improvise whatever technical solution you like in conjunction with the CDPD service. While the CDPD service may seem pricy, it'll be much less than a cellular phone, and isn't much more than you'd pay for a home security service on land.