Internet service just got a bit sweeter for some 6,000 Gainesville residents living in apartment complexes.

Gainesville Regional Utility’s Gator Net internet service announced it is immediately increasing upload speeds to match download speeds, which will decrease buffering for Netflix and Hulu watchers — and without data caps.

Previously, Gator Net offered download speeds of 50, 100 and 1,000 megabits per second (Mbps) that were met with far slower upload speeds of 5, 20 and 20 Mbps.

Gator Net customers won't see penalties for exceeding arbitrary data use limits, a GRU press release said.

“Despite other local providers imposing usage limits, or data caps, GRUCom remains adamant that caps are inconsistent with its goal of providing the fastest and best Internet service in Gainesville,” the release said.

The internet service is provided to about 50 apartment complexes throughout Gainesville, which serves approximately 6,000 residents, GRU spokesman David Warm said.

Apartment complexes often offer the internet service free to tenants who sign leases, Warm said. The company’s website shows a monthly charge of $34.99 for 50 Mbps internet. For increased speeds, residents are encouraged to speak to property managers, the site suggests.

Warm said there have been discussions about whether GRU might expand to other areas of Alachua County, but for now, there are no such plans.

City commissioner Adrian Hayes-Santos said Tuesday the move is a “great step forward” in bringing cheap and affordable internet options to locals.

Last week, Connected Gainesville, a group of residents dedicated to ensuring affordable internet access throughout the area, launched its campaign to find solutions.

In an email, Bryan Eastman, a co-founder of Connected Gainesville, wrote that the lack of high upload speeds has been “holding back our community.”

"If Gainesville wants to become a 21st century city, these are the kinds of innovative solutions we're going to need,” he wrote. “As our world becomes more digital and cloud-based, infrastructure like this will allow us to stay ahead of the curve. The next step is to work with all of our internet providers to bring this kind of quality, high-speed, symmetrical fiber internet to everyone in our community at an affordable rate."

Contact reporter Andrew Caplan at andrew.caplan@gvillesun.com or on Twitter @AACaplan.