All:
We, too, have enjoyed WiSpring's wireless service for about three months. We're located about two thirds of the way up Jay Lane off Green River Rd. We've got "line of sight" to the radio on Old Village Road. Moving to high speed wireless from almost 13 years of dial-up has truly been liberating. We second the compliments offered to WiSpring's installer, Matthew. Couldn't have been more conscientious about his work and the outcome. As a whole, our experience with WiSpring and its personnel has been very satisfactory.
Sue and Fred Leukroth
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
We Have High-Speed!
Dear Alford Neighbors,
We just got WISPring installed at our house in the center of Alford. Our receiver picks up the signal from the WISPring pole on Old Village Road. We assumed this pole would service the west side of Alford and that we had to wait for the new pole to be erected this spring on East Road. It turns out many locations on the east side of Alford can receive the signal from the pole on Old Village Road right now. Our neighbor had it installed last week and informed us. You just have to have your location tested. Needless to say, the speed of WISPring wireless broadband is unbelievably fast and faster than satellite. This made a huge difference just yesterday, our first workday after installation. I was able to send very large graphic files in less than two minutes. This would have taken about 120 minutes or longer on dial-up. I would usually have to send a CD or drive to the Mason Library to send the files. My daughter was able to do her homework, which requires internet research, in half the time. I was impressed with how professional our WISPring installation went. The installer, Matthew, was very conscientious about doing a neat job stringing the cable line into the house and situating the antenna for signal strength and aesthetics. We couldn’t be more pleased with the process and the outcome.
Julie Scott and James Hall
Alford Road, Alford
We just got WISPring installed at our house in the center of Alford. Our receiver picks up the signal from the WISPring pole on Old Village Road. We assumed this pole would service the west side of Alford and that we had to wait for the new pole to be erected this spring on East Road. It turns out many locations on the east side of Alford can receive the signal from the pole on Old Village Road right now. Our neighbor had it installed last week and informed us. You just have to have your location tested. Needless to say, the speed of WISPring wireless broadband is unbelievably fast and faster than satellite. This made a huge difference just yesterday, our first workday after installation. I was able to send very large graphic files in less than two minutes. This would have taken about 120 minutes or longer on dial-up. I would usually have to send a CD or drive to the Mason Library to send the files. My daughter was able to do her homework, which requires internet research, in half the time. I was impressed with how professional our WISPring installation went. The installer, Matthew, was very conscientious about doing a neat job stringing the cable line into the house and situating the antenna for signal strength and aesthetics. We couldn’t be more pleased with the process and the outcome.
Julie Scott and James Hall
Alford Road, Alford
Thursday, January 24, 2008
Just in...Excellent Results with WISpring
1/24/08
Dear [Alford Broadband Committee],
I wanted to let you know that this past Saturday I had WiSpring installed at my house. The whole process went very smoothly. The antenna is a lot smaller than I expected, and the installer did a great job of hiding the wire behind the gutter and under the trim. The performance is outstanding, much faster than the HughesNet satellite dish that I've had for a few years. Before switching, I wrote down how long it took to load certain pages, and my WiSpring is between 4 and 10 times faster than my HughesNet connection. Thanks so much for your efforts to bring a new broadband alternative to Alford, and I hope they set up their new tower soon so you can finally get high speed access at your home.
Best,
Nevin
[Alford resident, Green River Road]
P.S. Since HughesNet is definitely better than dialup, if you know anyone who can't get any other service and would like my equipment -- the dish and special modem -- I would be happy to give it to them for free. Installation by one of the HughesNet reps would probably be about $100 - $200. [contact juliescot@aol.com and I will provide you Nevin's contact info]
1/21/08
[Dear Alford Broadband Committee]
We just got WiSpring installed this afternoon. Have you gotten it yet? Just incredible!!! Can't really believe it! The connection is even faster than what you can get downtown in Great Barrington at the coffee shop on Main Street! We did a speed test with the intstaller and it's actually twice as fast on the upload than the fastest DSL package from Verizon! Literally a Godsend!!!
Best,Davin
[Alford resident, Green River Road]
Dear [Alford Broadband Committee],
I wanted to let you know that this past Saturday I had WiSpring installed at my house. The whole process went very smoothly. The antenna is a lot smaller than I expected, and the installer did a great job of hiding the wire behind the gutter and under the trim. The performance is outstanding, much faster than the HughesNet satellite dish that I've had for a few years. Before switching, I wrote down how long it took to load certain pages, and my WiSpring is between 4 and 10 times faster than my HughesNet connection. Thanks so much for your efforts to bring a new broadband alternative to Alford, and I hope they set up their new tower soon so you can finally get high speed access at your home.
Best,
Nevin
[Alford resident, Green River Road]
P.S. Since HughesNet is definitely better than dialup, if you know anyone who can't get any other service and would like my equipment -- the dish and special modem -- I would be happy to give it to them for free. Installation by one of the HughesNet reps would probably be about $100 - $200. [contact juliescot@aol.com and I will provide you Nevin's contact info]
1/21/08
[Dear Alford Broadband Committee]
We just got WiSpring installed this afternoon. Have you gotten it yet? Just incredible!!! Can't really believe it! The connection is even faster than what you can get downtown in Great Barrington at the coffee shop on Main Street! We did a speed test with the intstaller and it's actually twice as fast on the upload than the fastest DSL package from Verizon! Literally a Godsend!!!
Best,Davin
[Alford resident, Green River Road]
Tuesday, December 4, 2007
Follow-up on the Highspeed Announcement
While our Broadband Committee has been "official" since January 2007, we have been working on the broadband issue for much longer than that. We have been in contact with every potential service provider, as far back as 2005.
__________
Satellite service is available, and some people use that service.
__________
Every so often, we hear that Verizon has added DSL service to a cluster of houses here or there (mostly on the fringes of Alford), and we are glad for those who can receive that service. Also, we all periodically receive mail or email Verizon or other providers saying that broadband is now available at our location. These advertising messages seem to be based on faulty geography-based marketing data bases and postal service records. Many of us have inquired about services supposedly available to us, only to find out that their maps were incorrect.
__________
__________
WiSpring, which uses a method that does not require cables or phone wires, continues to be the only company to respond positively to our efforts, and is already providing service in this area.
__________
__________
The broadband committee is not a commercial venture. We have known from the beginning that broadband across all of Alford would probably be a patchwork of solutions from different providers. To find out what is actually available at your location, we recommend that you contact the service providers and evaluate your alternatives.
__________
__________
HughesNet (Satellite) = http://www.hughesnet.com/
Time Warner/Road Runner (Cable) = http://www.twalbany.com/
Verizon Broadband (DSL) = http://www.verizon.net/
WildBlue (Satellite) =http://www.wildblue.net/ 1-866-945-3258
WiSpring (Wireless) = http://www.wispring.com/ 413-528-5008
General information about broadband Internet service is available at http://www.broadbandinfo.com/ which provides links to many, but not all, serviceproviders.
The Alford Broadband Committee:
Larry Chernicoff. Arthur Dellea. James Hall. Robert Lichter. Julie Scott.
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
Wireless Service Available in Alford/Phase I
Since January 2007, the Alford Broadband Committee has been working to facilitate the delivery of broadband Internet service to as many Alford residents as possible, as soon as possible. Here's an update:
Recently, the local wireless service provider, WiSpring, Inc. received permission from both the Alford Planning Board and the Zoning Board of Appeals to erect two poles that will bring broadband Internet capability to Alford. One of those poles, located on Old Village Road, is already operating. The second pole is planned for mid-2008, which will further expand the service area. WiSpring continues to be the only company to respond positively to our efforts.
We understand that WiSpring will be contacting Alford residents by email in the near future about the availability of service. If you want to contact WiSpring yourself, they can be reached at 528-5008, or info@wispring.com.
On another note: the committee worked closely with WiSpring several months ago, to file an application for funding from the US Department of Agriculture's Rural Broadband program We recently heard that our application to this highly competitive program was denied. We'd like to thank all of you who provided supporting material for the application. Those letters will help in our continuing efforts to seek the best possible service for our community.
It's very difficult to maintain a complete and accurate email list, so if you know other people who might be interested in this message, please forward it.
The Alford Broadband Committee:
Larry Chernicoff Arthur Dellea James Hall Robert Lichter Julie Scott
Recently, the local wireless service provider, WiSpring, Inc. received permission from both the Alford Planning Board and the Zoning Board of Appeals to erect two poles that will bring broadband Internet capability to Alford. One of those poles, located on Old Village Road, is already operating. The second pole is planned for mid-2008, which will further expand the service area. WiSpring continues to be the only company to respond positively to our efforts.
We understand that WiSpring will be contacting Alford residents by email in the near future about the availability of service. If you want to contact WiSpring yourself, they can be reached at 528-5008, or info@wispring.com.
On another note: the committee worked closely with WiSpring several months ago, to file an application for funding from the US Department of Agriculture's Rural Broadband program We recently heard that our application to this highly competitive program was denied. We'd like to thank all of you who provided supporting material for the application. Those letters will help in our continuing efforts to seek the best possible service for our community.
It's very difficult to maintain a complete and accurate email list, so if you know other people who might be interested in this message, please forward it.
The Alford Broadband Committee:
Larry Chernicoff Arthur Dellea James Hall Robert Lichter Julie Scott
Thursday, August 23, 2007
UPDATE: US Dept. of Agriculture Grant Application
About 2 weeks ago the Alford Broadband Committee learned of a grant program from the Rural Utilities Service, a branch of the USDA. This program provides about $12 million / year of funding to rural communities around the country. That's not very much. Many of the broadband grants have gone to small communities out west, and many to Native American reservations.
On a crash basis, we joined forces with WiSpring, Inc. to submit an application which would support three towers, a computer facility in Town Hall with computers and broadband service, high-speed Internet at the town offices and fire station, and more. The town would benefit, and the high-speed service would be available to most residents of Alford. Some locations, because of topography, would not be able to get the signal. For those people, there would be access at Town Hall.
Alford gets lots of points for being small, but no points at all in the second scoring category, due to the high median income compared to the rest of the US.
Then there's a third scoring category, which is where the applicant writes about the benefits of broadband to the town, and demonstrates community support and commitment. This is where we went all out. We included many letters of support for the effort, including specific lists of the ways in which broadband service will benefit. Letters came from the Chairman of the Select Board, the town Tax Assessor, Accountant, Librarian, Constable, and the heads of the Conservation Commission, Planning Board, etc. And then lots of residents and business owners (including home businesses) jumped in and lent their support.
There were 56 pages of guidelines for the application, and we had very little time. We worked hard and gave it our best shot. If anyone at the USDA has a heartbeat, we have a chance. But we may not get it. Lots of towns apply.
We recognize that no broadband solution will be perfect, and none will reach everyone in town yet. What we're trying to do, as we've always said, is to get broadband for as many people as possible, as soon as possible.
There will be additional programs from the Commonwealth of Mass. coming up (when the legislation gets passed), and we will be sure to apply for those funds, as well. We're going to keep looking, listening, and pushing until we get some results.
We'd like to thank everyone who joined the effort, especially the last-minute push for support letters. We had an impressive application package, thanks to all of you. We will be using all the letters again (and the letters that came in after deadline) for future grants.
- The Alford Broadband Committee
On a crash basis, we joined forces with WiSpring, Inc. to submit an application which would support three towers, a computer facility in Town Hall with computers and broadband service, high-speed Internet at the town offices and fire station, and more. The town would benefit, and the high-speed service would be available to most residents of Alford. Some locations, because of topography, would not be able to get the signal. For those people, there would be access at Town Hall.
Alford gets lots of points for being small, but no points at all in the second scoring category, due to the high median income compared to the rest of the US.
Then there's a third scoring category, which is where the applicant writes about the benefits of broadband to the town, and demonstrates community support and commitment. This is where we went all out. We included many letters of support for the effort, including specific lists of the ways in which broadband service will benefit. Letters came from the Chairman of the Select Board, the town Tax Assessor, Accountant, Librarian, Constable, and the heads of the Conservation Commission, Planning Board, etc. And then lots of residents and business owners (including home businesses) jumped in and lent their support.
There were 56 pages of guidelines for the application, and we had very little time. We worked hard and gave it our best shot. If anyone at the USDA has a heartbeat, we have a chance. But we may not get it. Lots of towns apply.
We recognize that no broadband solution will be perfect, and none will reach everyone in town yet. What we're trying to do, as we've always said, is to get broadband for as many people as possible, as soon as possible.
There will be additional programs from the Commonwealth of Mass. coming up (when the legislation gets passed), and we will be sure to apply for those funds, as well. We're going to keep looking, listening, and pushing until we get some results.
We'd like to thank everyone who joined the effort, especially the last-minute push for support letters. We had an impressive application package, thanks to all of you. We will be using all the letters again (and the letters that came in after deadline) for future grants.
- The Alford Broadband Committee
Saturday, August 18, 2007
The Summer Update
The quest for high-speed service is moving along steadily, although slowly. We continue to be optimistic.
- The Alford Broadband Committee recently became aware of a US Department of Agriculture program which provides funding to help bring broadband service to rural communities. We are working with WiSpring to put together a proposal under this program.
- We are following the recently announced Massachusetts rural broadband initiative, but the Mass. legislation hasn't been enacted yet, so it will be some time before the applications are even available.
- Progress has been made developing high-elevation locations for wireless broadband poles. Detailed discussions between WiSpring and Alford landowners are in progress, with only small items to be resolved. If these arrangements are finalized, we will have several neighbors to thank for their generous cooperation on behalf of all of us.
- WiSpring is researching other sites throughout Alford and no poles will be erected without following proper town procedure.
- The Alford Broadband Committee has maintained regular communication with our state representatives regarding our community's immediate needs for high-speed service.
- Our Town Selectmen are also pursuing some very recent possibilities.
- We are keeping all options open to enable a "hybrid" solution for high-speed service in Alford. Some homes may be served by one type of service while others may receive broadband service in a different way.
- Rumors have been passed around lately about DSL service being available nearby. We will keep everyone informed about any progress with Verizon, WiSpring and Time Warner. We will not release any information until it is real and verified.
The Alford Broadband Committee
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