Fairpoint on Fletcher / Fairfax Road

[Willinreach]

Hello Everyone.

I am new to the board...  1st post.  Glad to see that there is a forum for Fairfax residents, even though I live in Fletcher.

If any of you live or travel on Fletcher / Fairfax Road, you might have noticed a huge spool of cable on the side of the road that Fairpoint has been running.

Do any of you know if this cable is for High Speed Internet and how far they plan on going with it?

I am located right on the Fairfax / Fletcher boarder; a couple houses before Meadow Brook Lane.

A few weeks back, I noticed crews going through removing branches around the power lines, so I can only assume they are headed right up to school road.

I was in contact with a rep from Fairpoint and she told me that High Speed Internet would be available up this way by the end of June, but a rep last March told me that by the end of 3rd quarter of 2010, high speed would be available and that did not happen.

Just curious if any of you know if this cable is indeed for high speed internet and how far they plan on going with it and if anyone knows when they plan on finishing this project.

Thank you in advance.

Will

[fletchtb]

I have heard from a FairPoint employee and others that that spool of five optic cable is going to be connected to the phone switch in front of the general store by June and that DSL service well be available within a certain radius of the store.

I have also heard from a reliable source that GlobalNet has increased their bandwidth, which should provide customers with speeds close to what they expect now, and will be offering 10Mbps wireless service in the coming weeks.

Things after looking better for high speed internet in Fletcher all the time now!

[Henry]

I understand that DSL needs to be about 2 - 2 1/2 miles from the switch.  I and my daughter are the last ones up Fletcher Road.  Not sure how far we are from the General Store - Sure hope for the people of Fletcher it comes through

[mkr]

You can be up to 3 miles from the Fairfax CO when we got DSL.  We (Henry, my Dad & I) are 1.3 miles from the Fletcher General store.  This is great news for Fletcher residents!

[Willinreach]

You can be up to 3 miles from the Fairfax CO when we got DSL.  We (Henry, my Dad & I) are 1.3 miles from the Fletcher General store.  This is great news for Fletcher residents!

I'm roughly 0.8 miles from Fletcher General and I can't wait for them to finish there work.

When I picked my daughter up from school this afternoon, I saw that they were working on the transmitter box in front of the store.  I keep hearing June as a completing date, but maybe they will be done earlier.

In the mean time, I picked up a Broadband 3G Mifi router from Virgin Mobile last week and it's working pretty good.  According to Sprints coverage map (Virgin Mobile uses Sprints 3G service), my house is the last spot to pick up 3G coverage.

It's $40.00 a month with no contract and it use to be unlimited, but they decided to put a 5GB cap on it starting February 15th....

It will do just fine until we get hooked up with Fairpoint.

[Darryl]

I have heard from a FairPoint employee and others that that spool of five optic cable is going to be connected to the phone switch in front of the general store by June and that DSL service well be available within a certain radius of the store.

I have also heard from a reliable source that GlobalNet has increased their bandwidth, which should provide customers with speeds close to what they expect now, and will be offering 10Mbps wireless service in the coming weeks.

Things after looking better for high speed internet in Fletcher all the time now!

I spoke with Paul at Globalnet today and he took my info, said upgrades should be done soon but couldn't give me any specifics about what is being upgraded.  A 10.0 option would be fantastic, I might actually see real speeds above 1.0 then.  I'm presently on their silver plus (2.0) plan and not getting anywhere close to that.  I just did a test and got .26

[Willinreach]

I have heard from a FairPoint employee and others that that spool of five optic cable is going to be connected to the phone switch in front of the general store by June and that DSL service well be available within a certain radius of the store.

I have also heard from a reliable source that GlobalNet has increased their bandwidth, which should provide customers with speeds close to what they expect now, and will be offering 10Mbps wireless service in the coming weeks.

Things after looking better for high speed internet in Fletcher all the time now!

I spoke with Paul at Globalnet today and he took my info, said upgrades should be done soon but couldn't give me any specifics about what is being upgraded.  A 10.0 option would be fantastic, I might actually see real speeds above 1.0 then.  I'm presently on their silver plus (2.0) plan and not getting anywhere close to that.  I just did a test and got .26

Darryl,

Do you know if Globalnet has expanded there coverage in the area?

Correct me if I'm wrong, but as far as I know, you need to be able to see Mt. Mansfield or be able to catch a signal from the tower on Spaulding Road.

[Chris Santee]

thank you Carolyn Branagan for this Press Release:

BRING ON THE BROADBAND: FAIRPOINT ANNOUNCES GEORGIA AND FAIRFAX EXPANSION
SOUTH BURLINGTON, Vt. (February 10, 2011) – FairPoint Communications has expanded broadband to more than 350 homes and businesses in Georgia and Fairfax.

FairPoint’s new fiber-based, high-capacity network – called VantagePoint(sm) – offers customers a better, faster way to communicate.

“VantagePoint is enabling us to expand broadband service into areas with no high-speed Internet access and provide enhanced services across the state,” said Michael K. Smith, FairPoint state president for Vermont. “Broadband availability opens the doors to the world for the residents and businesses in Vermont and is fundamental to the state’s future economic growth.”

FairPoint’s VantagePoint network, a fiber core, IP-based network, provides residential speed options as fast as 15Mbps.  Broadband service on the VantagePoint network means customers can smoothly stream live video, play online games and upload photos and large files with ease.  Always-on broadband access provides almost instant connections to information, news and entertainment.

In Fairfax, FairPoint’s high-speed Internet service is a first and will reach customers along all or portions of the following streets: Austin, Berthiaume, Blackberry Hill, Cherrierville, Clark, Craftsfield, Ellsworth, Farm, Flight Line, Gleason, Goodrich Hill, Hemlock, Heritage, Kailburn, King, Main, Nichols, Wagner and White Pine.

In Georgia, high-speed Internet service was recently expanded to reach customers along all or portions of the following streets: Bradley Hill, Cliffords, Decker, Georgia Middle, Hibbard, Hotchkiss, Main, Montcalm, Pattee Hill, Plains, Rhodeside Acres, Ridgeview, Sand Hill, Sandy Birch, Sodom and Stone Bridge. Some current FairPoint customers in this area may be eligible for faster speeds.

Since April 2008, FairPoint has invested almost $140 million in the communications infrastructure and technology to bring broadband to northern New England, including building more than 700 miles of new fiber across the region.

In Vermont alone, FairPoint has invested almost $50 million and will provide total broadband coverage to half of its exchanges this year, including both Georgia and Fairfax.
 
Internet packages start at $35.99.  For additional information about FairPoint high-speed Internet prices and bundled plans, residential consumers can call 1.866.984.2001 or visit www.FairPoint.com.

About FairPoint
FairPoint Communications, Inc. is a provider of communications services to communities across the country. Today, FairPoint owns and operates local exchange companies in 18 states offering advanced communications with a personal touch, including local and long distance voice, data, Internet, television and broadband services. FairPoint is traded on NASDAQ under the ticker symbol FRP. Learn more at www.fairpoint.com.

[Willinreach]

I have been checking the Fairpoint website daily to see if my phone number qualifies for DSL and I was shocked to see that today, it does.

I am not very impressed with the current speeds.

Down Speed - Up to 768 kbps

Up Speed - Up to 128 kbps

I am hoping as they continue doing work in the area, that these speeds will increase.