The Broadband Committee has obtained from the three Internet providers working in Taghkanic updated construction information and potential pricing costs for fiber installation to the house. Maps of areas assigned to these fiber providers are available in the Taghkanic Broadband Guide available on this website. Please note that the State Grant only requires fiber providers to supply the first 250 feet of fiber from a pole. www.taghkanic.org/download/2019-04-11-guide-to-broadband-services-in-taghkanic-1-.pdf
Pricing Estimates:
Mid-Hudson Cable offers fiber optic installation to all homes near an existing service line. The basic home installation fee is $60 with the first 250 feet distance from the pole free. The fee structure for the remaining distance varies according to location. Best to contact Sales Representative Spencer Siciliano (518-943-6600
Ext. 8829) for special offers often available. Visit www.mhcable.net for more pricing information.
Since the Broadband Open House in May, four more Taghkanic homes are now receiving Mid-Hudson Cable fiber connectivity.
Consolidated Communications is now installing fiber optic lines in the small northeastern portion of the town. High Speed Internet fees of $49 include installation of a fiber network terminal at the home and setting up the wireless router. A current promotion waives that fee when customers add the Network Care Plus Wireless Service that is required with fiber Internet. The drop charges for running cable begin after the first 300 feet from the pole with a standard estimate of $4 per foot. Consolidated contractors will provide a custom quote based on the topology of the customer’s yard and land to determine whether to dig a trench or bore the ground. Visit. www.consolidated.com/residential/internet or call Customer Service at 844-968-7221 for more personal assistance.
Since the Broadband Open House in May, five more Taghkanic homes are now receiving Consolidated Communications fiber connectivity
GTel offers to install the first 300 feet of fiber from a pole to a house for free.
After 300 feet, the homeowner will pay $1.20 per foot for the fiber plus hourly costs for the installation. Work by one technician costs $60 per hour and two technicians cost $120 per hour. The average cost for homes beyond the 300 feet has been $400.
Customers may also engage the company on a time and materials basis for other
services such as hooking up a television set or simple smart home systems.
Installation costs can be complicated by the necessary use of Back Poles.
Back Poles are utility poles not located on a public road that for example may be located through the woods. These poles are more expensive to maintain and sometimes require tracked vehicles to access them. The State Grants do not cover installation from back poles but GTel’s current policy is to start the first 300 feet free of installation from the nearest pole be it back pole or a road pole.
GTel has run eight miles of additional fiber in Gallatin and Taghkanic. Gallatin now has 30 miles of fiber installed and will have 400 eligible customers within three weeks. National Grid has improved its response time for pole license applications to speed up the construction process. As the crews advance, Tagkanic will be next.
Call GTel Customer Service at 518-537-4835 or visit www2.gtel.net for up-to-date information on the company’s progress.
Since the Broadband Open House in May, four homes in Taghkanic now have GTel fiber connectivity.
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CONNECT COLUMBIA RESPONDS TO SPECTRUM/CHARTER SETTLEMENT
The Taghkanic Broadband Committee Chairman Arthur McGuire and Town Supervisor Ryan Skoda have sent a letter supporting Connect Columbia’s response to the proposed New York State settlement with Charter/Spectrum. New York State had blocked the Charter/Spectrum merger over its failure to expand broadband access in New York and other violations of the merger agreement. Connect Columbia has made multiple recommendations to strengthen this settlement agreement for the benefit of Columbia County residents. Although this action does not directly apply to Taghkanic, the Town is supporting its fellow Columbia County communities as well as Connect Columbia in its unfaltering efforts to bring
High-speed Internet service to the County.
According to Dave Berman, Co-Chair of Connect Columbia, “The fight for broadband for everyone in Columbia County is not over and we need to make sure that all the providers live up to their promises.”
Further information on this issue is available here
