North Country Broadband Corp ---- NEWS -----------

Press Release October 4, 2001

Bradford Now Has Affordable High-Speed Internet

Thanks to the efforts of the Lower Cohase Chamber of Commerce and the local Bradford business community, low-cost always on, high-speed (broadband) Internet service is now available.

Efforts began in June when management of Bradford-based inkjetmall.com decided that they needed to have affordable high-speed Internet service or they would need to locate somewhere else. It was evident to inkjetmall.com and the Chamber that high-speed Internet is important to the Bradford community for current businesses to remain competitive and to attract new business. Having seen an article in the Caledonian-Record about broadband service in St. Johnsbury Boyd Hayes and Bill Berch went to meet with North Country Broadband (www.northcounrtybroadband.com). It looked like a good fit for Bradford, too.

A group of 11 Chamber members met with North Country Broadband management at the River Bend Technical Center computer lab and David Coughlin for a more in-depth explanation of their Internet service and for a demonstration of high-speed Internet on the Center’s computers. Barry Rossinoff of North Country Broadband agreed it would make the necessary capital investment to bring the service to the community if as few as ten businesses agreed to subscribe to the service. Chamber members decided that the potential results would be worth the effort to promote the service to its members.

Boyd Hayes of Inkjetmall.com created a 4-page flyer describing the high-speed Internet services and the potential benefit to Bradford for the Chamber, and it was distributed to the Bradford business community. North Country Broadband hired Bradford resident Greg Medeiros, a skilled marketing and sales consultant with a working knowledge of Internet technology to spearhead the out-reach effort and offer local support. Greg worked with Al Stevens and Anne Morrill of the Chamber making calls and opening doors with local businesses to assess their needs for high-speed Internet and to evaluate their net cost benefit.

The Bradford Select Board agreed to allow the Academy Building to host this unique 384kbps Internet service which includes a wireless transmission site in the bell tower and Internet backbone connections from the basement. Service begins Tuesday October 9. Hook-up will soon follow for Artist Bert Dobson, Attorney Christopher Dye, Fox & Fox Associates, Inkjetmall.com, Merry Meadow Farm, Oaks Brothers, Odell Agency, Professional Consulting Services, T. Copeland & Sons, Taylor-Palmer Agency and Upper-Valley Pediatrics.

While rural communities all over America scratch their heads about attracting affordable high-speed Internet, the Bradford business community has made it happen without relying on government assistance or capital investment.

Broadband Internet access in Bradford?
Bradford Jounal-Opinion June 27, 2001
by Marianne L. Kelly

BRADFORD—Not too long ago, the Internet, then called Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA), was created by the Defense Department as a communications network that could survive a war.

The 1980s brought the evolution of the Internet as we know it today, and its growth has been explosive. In 1985, there were about 2,000 host computers on the net. Today there are well over nine million.

Instant high speed access
Enter the era of Broadband Internet Access, or, "all Internet all the time." Barry Rossinoff of North Country Broadband in St. Johnsbury, a provider of broadband access, recently visited the Journal Opinion office to explain this latest technology, which he hopes to bring to Bradford.
According to Rossinoff, broadband access will replace the dial-up system that most people use to access the net. Said Rossinoff, “the dial-up connection you have is allowing a trickle to come in. Broadband allows a much greater volume of information." He continued, "As soon as you turn on your computer, you're on the Internet." He explained, "Broadband access is like driving a Corvette that has never seen pavement."
Rossinoff began servicing St. Johnsbury this past April. To date, his subscribers include online publishers, a direct marketing company, law offices and the UVM Extension Service. Rossinoff said, "We make sure that everything works perfectly, right down to the mouse."

In Bradford?
At the request of John Cone, owner of inkjetmall.com in Bradford, Rossinoff came to town to discuss the possibility of bringing broadband access to businesses here. He said that, by placing a transceiver in the cupola of the Bradford Academy building, downtown businesses, and "most of Bradford within a two mile radius of downtown," could benefit from this service by having a small antenna placed in a window on their premises, that would pick up the signal from the transceiver.

According to Rossinoff, broadband always-on Internet access opens pathways to resources, information and communications that are not available with conventional dial-up service. Businesses who rely heavily on the Internet such as, publishers, lawyers, manufacturers, insurance companies, medical facilities, and anyone engaged in e-commerce are greatly benefitting from this service, he said.

More business?
Rossinoff went on to say that "many businesses that might locate in Bradford assume that this access is not here, and locate in the Hanover Lebanon area." Bringing affordable broadband access to Bradford, he continued, would encourage small businesses to locate here, bringing with them good paying jobs and other financial benefits to the community.

"Without broadband service,” Rossinoff commented, “rapidly growing companies such as Inkjetmall.com located in downtown Bradford, might feel stunted and forced to leave for the Burlington and Montpelier areas where this service does exist, taking jobs and much needed revenue with them."

According to Al Stevens, board member of the Lower Cohase Chamber of Commerce, "We sent a mailing to about 75 businesses” inviting them to a meeting about broadband service at River Bend Career and Technical Center on June 19. "Several came, many questions were asked, and there was some interest in bringing the service to Bradford."

Service within 30 days
Rossinoff said, "In order for broadband service to be a viable alternative to dial-up networking in Bradford, only 10 to 12 businesses need to express interest in using it if it were available. I would start the process the next day, and they would be up and running within 30 days." He added, "We're ready to start delivering service."

Rossinoff said that he will invest equipment and installation of the transceiver to make the service available. Subscribers would pay an initial installation fee of about $600, and a monthly subscription fee of approximately $100 to $150.

Rossinoff stressed that he wants the people of Bradford to know that “it is in the interest of Bradford to have this service both directly and indirectly—directly through personal use and indirectly through the ability to attract other business."

Stevens said he is willing to organize another meeting and bring people to the lab at the school so they personally can experience the speed and versatility of broadband Internet service.
Those interested in learning more about this service can call Barry Rossinoff at (802) 748-4600, or Al Stevens at (802) 222-5631.

==== end ==========================

Press Release, April 16, 2001

Broadband DSL Internet Technology
Comes to St. Johnsbury

Until now, like most Vermont towns outside of Chittenden County, St. Johnsbury businesses have been on the wrong side of the bandwidth divide. Choices for Internet access have been, a dial-up connection of 28-to-56 kbps for around $20 per month; ISDN, also a dial-up service with speeds of 128 kbps for around $120 per month; or dedicated Frame Relay 384 kbps service for over $750 monthly.

Business efficiency can benefit greatly from having their computers networked to work together, share data and have always-on broadband access to the Internet.

North Country Broadband Corporation has teamed with Windhorse Commons to bring a leading edge technology called fixed Broadband, an always-on broadband Internet service, to ST Johnsbury. The tenants of Windhorse are now beginning to subscribe to always-on Internet access at speeds up to 384 kbps for only $150 per month, as compared with Frame Relay at over $750. In addition, the bandwidth is being transmitted from a Windhorse cupola to all line-of-sight buildings. This area includes the Academy, the temporary Middle School and most of the Railroad St. area. These buildings and businesses can thereby also access always-on high-speed Internet connection for their own business and/or add value by making it available to all their tenants in much the same way that they now provide access to water and electric.

As downtown St. Johnsbury begins its period of recovery from fires and the shifting sands of businesses residents, they will be among the very few rural towns, anywhere, to have this form of affordable, business quality high speed Internet access. It is here because of the happy coincidence that the North Country Broadband Corporation principal owner lives in St. Johnsbury and the enthusiasm of the owner of Windhorse Commons, who has been encouraging and facilitating this deployment.

As demand is generated, the broadband services of North Country Broadband Corporation will be expanded to reach nearly all of the Saint Johnsbury area.

home | news | testimonials | contact | why broadband?