Article Courtesy of The Sun Sentinel
By Ron Hurtibise
Published September 11, 2016
A San Francisco-based Internet service provider plans to
offer no-strings-attached, 1 gigabit-per-second service in Florida.
GigaMonster expects to bring its "scary fast Internet" to urban areas,
including South Florida, by mid-2017. The company's application to provide
telecommunications service in the state was unanimously approved Tuesday by
the Florida Public Service Commission.
To get it, homeowners have to live in an apartment or condo complex, though.
To offer competitive prices and justify the investment required to install
fiber optic cable near potential customers, the company only provides
service to what it calls "multi dwelling units," CEO Bill Dodd said in an
interview Tuesday.
So-called ultra fast internet service is attractive to cord-cutters who
consume large amounts of video via the Internet, who play complex video
games, or who need to transfer large amounts of data quickly.
Currently, GigaMonster and its sister company DirecPath compete in 20 urban
markets, including Denver and Atlanta. The company prices its fastest 1 gbps
service at $109 per month in some areas and less in others, depending on
investment costs, Dodd said. That's comparable to prices for 1 gbps services
offered, where available, in South Florida by AT&T and Comcast.
Dodd says GigaMonster studied preferences of young adult customers and
tailored its product to them. "We spent a lot of time thinking about what
the new generation wants," he said. "We looked at everything people hate
about their internet service provider and changed it."
That means the company requires no long-term contract or credit check, Dodd
said. There are no caps on data usage and no hidden fees, and customers are
guaranteed the same price for as long as they remain at their current
address.
The company also streams popular video services such as Netflix, YouTube and
Amazon across dedicated networks, eliminating the possibility of buffering
delays or other interference from the open internet.
And while ordering standalone 1 gigabit service from the company might be
ideal for cord-cutters, the company also works with DirecTV to offer TV and
internet bundles at apartment and condo complexes.
Keeping a TV service will remain desirable to consumers as demand for
ultra-high-resolution 4K service accelerates in 2017 and beyond, Dodd said.
The company has already acquired a small number of companies with existing
telecommunications services in Florida and is pursuing contracts in the
state, he said, declining to provide more details.
Further information will be made available when the company officially
announces the start of its Florida operation, Dodd said.
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