There’s a new provider trying to get underway called Underline. The company is looking at over 2,000 communities to see if it can offer more internet options as well as those that are less expensive by using a simple access model that isn’t like the competition.
Options
When you look at the internet options that you have for your area, you might find that there aren’t as many as you would think. If you live in a rural area, then you might not have internet access at all. There are only a few companies that dominate this industry and have recently been called out because they aren’t investing as much money or time into rural areas as they should be so that more people have access to the internet due to there being over 40 million people in the country who don’t have a connection or one that’s reliable.
Getting Started
Underline is trying to work with a community infrastructure so that it offers an internet connection to those who live in rural areas. The goal is to create fiber internet networks with an open access in at least 2,500 communities that aren’t being served by the larger providers in the country. The first deployment should be completed in the last quarter of 2021 in Colorado Springs. There are about 10% of households in the city that aren’t connected to the internet, making it difficult to work from home, attend classes when students can’t go to school, or maintain contact with family and friends.
Details of the Model
When an open access model is used, a private company like Underline takes on the responsibility of building the infrastructure that’s needed to deliver internet access and then maintains the structures that are in place. This model is designed so that smaller companies can get involved in offering internet and other telecommunications services without dealing with some of the higher costs associated with large companies that are already in place. Once the new infrastructure is in place, competitors can then begin offering lower prices and more services so that there are more options for consumers.
Households in Colorado Springs will have about four providers to choose from that should offer speeds between 500 Mbps and 10 Gbps. Other satellite internet services will likely be provided with the internet as well, such as phone and television. Stratus IQ is one of the companies that’s tapping into the network. It does operate in Colorado Springs already. However, the other three companies are from outside the area but hope to bring consumers the best services possible so that they can connect to the rest of the world. Most households will pay between $50 and $250 a month in fees depending on the company they choose and the services that they want. There is an Opportunity program that will help households that are considered low-income so that they get a discount on their monthly bill.
A pilot program launched in Colorado Springs earlier in the year has seen a good bit of success as there are several customers who are still connected. Once all the lines are in place, the company hopes to begin expanding the services that are offered to larger cities in the area as well as businesses that might not have the best internet access with larger providers. A benefit is that customers don’t have to enter into a contract in most instances and can choose another provider if they feel that they aren’t getting the service that they need.
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