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ALFORDLINK PROGRESS REPORT AND INFORMATION SHEET 8/10/18

 General:  The AlfordLink Commission understands that as we enter the last months of the project, communication becomes even more important.  As a result, we’re committed to providing more information updates on progress in completing the project, and a range of topics of interest to the Town.  This is the first of many.

 

 Progress Report

  •  Subscriptions for Internet: 235
  •  Service Drops Completed: 73
  • Active Subscriptions: 22
  • Preparatory work has been completed on the north side of town, and our service drop contractor, Sertex, has been cleared to connect all subscribers. 
  • Our fiber contractor, Infinigy, will complete work on the south side of town by August 17th, clearing the way for increased service drop activity there as well.

      The AlfordLink Commission is considering extending service to a few residences in neighboring towns if the Governor signs enabling legislation currently on his desk.  Service will be provided only under a set of very strict guidelines, including the following:

  • No service will be provided to others until all subscribers in Alford have been connected.
  • This service will cause no delays in providing service to Alford.
  • Service will be provided only to those who have no other source of broadband access.
  • Neighboring towns and their subscribers will bear all costs related to establishing connections, as well as a monthly price that would include a supplement to share any debt service costs borne by Alford taxpayers.

 FYI, Inside Installation tips:

  • When you are connected, you will have the choice of using your own router, or one provided by Whip City.  The advantage of using the Whip City router is that the ISP can then provide remote troubleshooting and rebooting.  But the choice is yours.
  • Be prepared to choose a location for the router.  The AlfordLink Commission is offering a subsidy to provide the inside installation free of charge to the subscriber as long as the router is within 50 feet of the ONT, and placed in the basement or the first floor of the house.
  • Choose a central spot in the house for the router, to maximize the signal throughout the house.
  • The Whip City router can be set up to provide two distinct networks – 2.4 and 5 Ghz.  Each has an advantage – the 2.4 Ghz signal reaches further within the house, while the 5 Ghz signal provides faster speeds.  You can have the Sertex installer set up both networks and decide which to use easily whenever you choose, depending on the location of the device in use and the need for download or upload speed for each occasion.  

Resources:

  • For general questions about AlfordLink, go to our website and explore the FAQ tab , at www.AlfordLink.com.
  • For scheduling questions and concerns, call the Whip City Customer Service Representative at (833) 923-2255. 
  • Streaming:
    • AlfordLink offers the opportunity to “cut the cord” and access TV and movies over the Internet instead of through cable or satellite.
    • Streaming TV and movie content is much less expensive than the offerings from services such as DirecTV and Dish.
    • It does take some research to discover what’s available and which services you’d like to access, however.
    • By combining a number of services, such as Netflix, Sling TV, Amazon Prime Video and Hulu, you can rebuild a very substantial portion of your current channel offerings.In fact, both Hulu and DirecTV offer streaming services which allows the customer to choose plans with slimmed down, more customized channel menus, starting as low as $40 per month.  Why pay for 600 channels when you watch only 10 or 20?  Go to www.hulu.com or www.directvnow.com for details.
    • We encourage everyone to share any information they gather on this topic.

AlfordLink Commission                                                     Consultants

Bruce Forster                                                                          Clark Downs -- Legal

Jim Hall                                                                                   Jay Weintraub -- Financial

Joe Nicolosi

Tim Ortwein

Peter Puciloski

Very Important:

     The initial installation period, has been extended to September 21, the Alford MLP will provide all the materials and $200 toward labor for the Service Drop installation.

  Also, if you subscribe for AlfordLink monthly Internet service during the Initial Install Period ( before 21), the Alford MLP will provide a free “Standard In-house Installation” valued at $375 per home.

Please note: is very important to understand that these incentives are only available to Alford homeowners that have Signed-up while the installation crews are in your your area.  They do not apply if the crews have to be mobilized at a later time. There is no cost or obligation for signing-up and work will only be performed after speaking with a Customer Service Representative and your approval.

 

Pricing for the AlfordLink monthly subscriptions are:

·      $110 for Internet, and

·      Optional $12.95 + fees & tax for VOIP Phone. 

·      No contracts are required, and

·       Snowbird rates drop to $74/ for months the Internet service is not used (which is just MLP expenses, and not ISP charges for service).

 

Links to additional details and information are provided below:

Sign-up for Service Drop / AlfordLink Internet Service:   AlfordLink.com

 

Alford MLP Service Drop Policy:  http://www.alfordmamlp.com/service-drop-policy-access-agreement/

 

AlfordLink Internet /VOIP  and Pricing: https://www.whipcityfiber.com/alford/#pricing

 

Frequently Asked Questions: https://www.whipcityfiber.com/pages/general/faq/