Patent ID: 7567578

Claim:
A communication system for providing network connectivity to multiple access locations, the system comprising: a subscriber broadband account associated with a user broadband modem disposed in a fixed geographic location, wherein the broadband account includes a unique subscriber profile that authenticates the broadband account associated with a particular user; a plurality of area network appliances that provide broadband service access to different geographic areas, wherein each area network appliance includes, a broadband modem bank communicatively coupled to a plurality of broadband modems in a local geographic area, a wide area network (WAN) card connected to a wide area network so as to affect bi-directional broadband communications with the wide area network, a communication interface that communicates the unique subscriber profile associated with the broadband account to a network operations center; the network operations center (NOC) configured to provide connectivity between the plurality of area network devices and communicate the unique subscriber profile; at least one authentication server for authenticating the unique subscriber information profile of the subscriber so that the subscriber can access each area network appliance; at least one data depository coupled to the at least one authentication server for storing the unique subscriber information profile; and a broadband connection that is granted access to the WAN in accordance with the unique subscriber information profile corresponding to the broadband account, wherein access is provided in a different geographic location using a separate area network appliance associated with the different geographic location.