Empowering the Underserved
Grassroots Plainfield Broadband Survey Invites Residents and Businesses to Voice Their Opinions About Internet Connectivity
PRESS RELEASE
A just-launched broadband poll will gather the Plainfield community’s interest in and support for high speed fiber-to-the-home Internet service.
Plainfield, CT – July 12, 2022… Accessing reliable high speed internet is challenging in Connecticut’s northeastern “Quiet Corner,” especially for those living off the beaten path. The region’s telecommunications infrastructure largely relies on outdated coaxial cable, which delivers service with inconsistent quality and insufficient speed. Frustrated Plainfield customers now have the opportunity to demand better internet by taking part in an online survey sponsored by a local company, Sertex Broadband Solutions.
Based in the Plainfield Industrial Park since 2009, Sertex is a fiber optic construction company with expertise in building broadband networks in rural and remote areas. Like many Plainfield residents and businesses, Sertex is dissatisfied with the currently available internet service.
“Connecting to the internet in Plainfield can be painful and expensive,” explains Michael Solitro, Sertex founder and CEO. “Like everyone else in town, including our employees who live here, we get by with poor internet service, but it doesn’t have to be this way. A fiber-to-the-home network would be transformative for our community.”
As a member of the Plainfield Business Association (PBA), Sertex is putting its expertise to work for the benefit of the community with the Plainfield Internet Survey. The online poll lets people share their experiences and voice their support for getting better internet access. Participants are guided to test their internet speed and answer brief questions about their current service, satisfaction level, and interest in subscribing to a fiber network.
Russell Phipps, PBA President, endorsed the Internet Survey, “With the emergence of many new businesses in Plainfield, including the new Amazon facility, it's time for Plainfield to invest in its infrastructures. The Plainfield Business Association believes that our residents and business owners would benefit greatly from an option for improved internet service proposed by Sertex Broadband Solutions.”
Everyone in Plainfield is encouraged to participate in the survey. If sufficient interest is expressed, Sertex representatives will share the results with town leaders and discuss ways to bring fiber broadband to Plainfield.
Empowering the Underserved
The Sertex strategy to give voice to underserved communities is working in other Connecticut towns, including Sharon and Barkhamsted. In Sharon in the northwest hills, town officials were ignored for decades by incumbent cable providers who refused pleas to expand broadband service. The companies argued that too few customers were spread across too large an area with too many challenging construction hurdles for a fiber build to be cost-effective. After a Sertex study demonstrated that it was not only possible but affordable for the town to build a municipal fiber network, the threat of competition spurred the incumbents to reconsider expanding their networks. In Barkhamsted, local officials are currently working with Sertex to conduct a fiber broadband feasibility study and community internet survey.
"We believe Plainfield can be like Sharon, Barkhamsted, and other rural communities,” continues Solitro. “We know affordable fiber optic technology exists, and we believe our town can be better served by demonstrating demand.”
For more information or to take the Plainfield Internet Survey. Sertex also will share information about the survey and careers in fiber optic construction at the PBA Celebrate Plainfield Day on August 6th from 10am to 3pm.
About Sertex Broadband
Sertex is an expert in fiber optic infrastructure deployment in the Northeast. For over three decades, the company has provided leading-edge services to telecommunication, utility, and municipal customers. The vision of Sertex Broadband Solutions is to deploy fiber-to-the-home networks in unserved and underserved areas and give gigabit-speed internet access to every home and business. Currently, Sertex is deploying an island-wide FTTX network on Block Island in partnership with the Town of New Shoreham, RI; a community-wide municipal network in Plainville, CT; and constructing last-mile fiber networks in 17 hill towns in western Massachusetts. The company’s model makes publicly owned/privately operated networks affordable and scalable with future-proof fiber technology. Learn more at https://www.sertexbroadband.com.