WESTFIELD–Whip City Fiber is reaching out to more residents as more people continue to “cut the cord.”
A Whip City Fiber sign with a digital antenna above it.
Whip City Fiber was at Paper Mill School yesterday and will be at Munger Hill School today from 6-8pm, as representatives are presenting Internet alternatives to current and potential customers in Westfield. The fiber optic network is continuing to expand, including the two neighborhoods where Munger Hill and Paper Mill schools are located. The events are informational sessions for interested residents.
“What we see in the future is the whole television industry going to streaming,” Sean Fitzgerald, customer service manager for Whip City, said. “Even content providers like Comcast are going to streaming.”
The innards of the fiber optic transistors.
Fitzgerald said that with the push toward streaming, more customers are able to get their conventional television options more through the Internet and less through conventional cable boxes. Whip City Fiber is hoping to capitalize on this “cutting the cord” idea by providing faster Internet speeds than some cable companies, which allows for better quality when streaming, as well as less buffer time.
What stands in the way of Whip City Fiber however, is that out of over 13,000 households in Westfield, just roughly 2,500 are able to receive or will receive fiber optic Internet by October. This leaves over 10,000 homes that are unable to get the service, unless a large enough sampling of the households in their neighborhoods express interest on the Whip City Fiber website. Once enough homes show interest however, Whip City Fiber goes forward with building fiber optic Internet connections in those neighborhoods.
Another issue with the plan involves the lack of sports available when people decide to stream. Most major sports organizations like NFL, MLB, NBA and NHL provide streaming packages, but they can cost hundreds of dollars a year per sport and have blackouts of local teams due to contractual obligations with stations such as NESN and CSN. This leaves the sports fans who want to watch the hometown teams with few options for their local sports fix.
However, Fitzgerald said that Whip City Fiber sees this changing in the future. Additionally, for games that are played on local networks like CBS, ABC or FOX, a digital antenna is available for purchase from many electronic and online companies that will give people access to these stations. So, at least football and most major sporting events are taken care of.
Additionally, Fitzgerald said that for those who are afraid to lose their telephone option if they switch, Whip City Fiber will be offering a telephone service through Ooma, a VoIP (Voice over Internet Provider) service that functions by sending calls through Internet connections. He said the company will be announcing the partnership in the next 60 days.
So, while the “cut the cord” revolution has begun in Westfield, it has not yet–at least fully–been televised.
