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Quincy, Fla., Homegrown Internet Provider to Begin Offering Broadband Service

Posted on: Wednesday, 6 October 2004, 06:00 CDT

Oct. 5--TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- A Quincy official said Monday the city's Internet service, NetQuincy, will start signing up subscribers Nov. 30 for broadband fiber-optic service to homes, businesses and multifamily residences in Quincy and Gadsden County.

"What this gives (our customers) is access to any service we offer, including voice, data and video," said John Thomas, the director of telecommunications for the city. "I think we are the first (city) in Florida to do this."

Thomas said subscribers would ultimately be able to receive data, voice and video information -- including cable TV -- over the network.

NetQuincy began in March 2001 as the result of an effort by city officials to provide dial-up Internet services to residents, who had no local Internet access at that time.

In July, Quincy officials began construction of a $3.5 million fiber-optic network to provide high-speed services to the city's 6,500 residents and others in the rest of Gadsden County.

Several phone companies opposed municipalities getting into the Internet business and tried to move a bill through the Legislature this spring that would have halted any expansion of networks while the issue was studied.

The bill, backed by BellSouth and Verizon, among others, was not passed.

Thomas said Quincy had contracted with Alcatel Inc. to provide the switching equipment needed to deliver broadband services to homes and businesses. He said Alcatel had the lowest bid of the four vendors who priced the project.

Alcatel operates in more than 130 countries and had international sales of about $12 billion in 2003. U.S. sales accounted for 15 percent of that total, according to the company's Web site.

"Quincy wanted to do a fiber-to-user project . . . and deliver broadband services to their constituents," said Mark Klimek, director of business management for Alcatel, a 100-year-old firm that began in France as a communications company.

Klimek said Alcatel had provided fiber-optic equipment for about a dozen small cities in the United States that have operations similar to NetQuincy's and for large markets in the United States and overseas.

He said Alcatel's equipment was "standards-based" so it could accommodate small or large users.

"The fiber-optic market has a 200-percent annual growth rate," Klimek said, adding the company expected to see about 2 million fiber-optic customers come online in the United States next year.

Thomas said subscribers would start getting data access, including Internet connections, on Nov. 30. He said phone service should start by the end March, and video and cable television should be online within the next 24 months.

TDS currently provides regular phone service for Quincy and Gadsden County.

NetQuincy currently charges dial-up subscribers $17.95 per month. He said existing dial-up customers who want to switch to the faster fiber-optic connection will be charged $29.95 a month. New customers wanting a fiber-optic connection will be charged $35 per month.

Thomas also said NetQuincy is expanding its fiber optic cable service as fast as it can. Comcast currently provides cable service for Quincy, said Comcast general manager K.C. McWilliams.

"We believe we provide state-of-the art program offerings, including high-speed cable and a vast array of program offerings. We will be offering video-on-demand in December. . . and proving the latest in video services."

"We're 70 percent complete now," Thomas said, "and we are coming straight down U.S. 90 to Midway" near the intersection of Interstate 10 and U.S. 90.

"Two years down the road, I hope to have at least 3,000 customers for voice, video and data service."

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