Three New Haven neighborhoods get new fiber optic internet access

Tom Perrone, chief operating officer of GoNetspeed Tom Perrone, chief operating officer of GoNetspeed Photo: Contributed Photo Photo: Contributed Photo Image 1 of / 1 Caption Close Three New Haven neighborhoods get new fiber optic internet access 1 / 1 Back to Gallery

NEW HAVEN — A Rochester, N.Y.-based company has expanded its ultra-high-speed Internet service into several neighborhoods in the Elm City.

GoNetspeed has completed its initial build-out of fiber optic cable in the Beaver Hills, Edgewood and West River neighborhoods, said Tom Perrone, chief operating officer of the company. Perrone said the company installed more than 20 miles of fiber, which makes GoNetspeed’s service available between 3,000 and 5,000 homes.

Construction of the company’s fiber optic network began in spring. The neighborhoods were chosen, in part, because of their density and the lack of another ultra-high-speed provider serving them, he said.

The company is targeting a broad range of potential customers, Perrone said.

“We’re not the least expensive and we’re not the most expensive, either,” he said. “We like to think that we’re provding a terrific value to customers.”

GoNetspeed is offering residential service plans starting at $50 for 100 Megabits per second, as well a $70 per month option for 500 Megabits and a 1 Gigabit per second offering for $90 per month. As an introductory offer, the company is waiving its installation fee, a $100 value, for New Haven customers who live in the areas where the company’s new network is located.

GoNetspeed already has its service in place in select Bridgeport and West Hartford neighborhoods. Outside Connecticut, the company is also building a new fiber optic network in the suburbs surrounding Pittsburgh, Pa., Perrone said.

GoNetspeed is basing its Connecticut expansion plans on where consumers express the greatest demand, he said. The company’s web site tracks the addresses and ZIP codes of individuals who search to see whether service is available, Perrone said.

“We’re really committed to growing here in Connecticut,” he said. “There’s a high-enough density of population that will allow us to continue to grow for a long time.”

For a new neighborhood to be considered by GoNetspeed, the company needs to hear from at least 15 percent of the homes in a given area.

New Haven officials have been at the forefront of an effort that began in 2014 to attract private sector companies willing to bring ultra-high-speed Internet to Connecticut. Laurence Grotheer, a spokesman for Mayor Toni Harp, said GoNetspeed’s service expansion into New Haven “is consistent with our efforts to bridge a vexing digital divide in the city.”

“We look forward to continued improvement to digital capacity for the rest of the city,” Grotheer said.

Connecticut Consumer Counsel Elin Swanson Katz, whose office is overseeing the effort to expand ultra-high-speed Internet service in the state, said GoNetspeed’s expansion in New Haven “is just another strong indicator that Connecticut consumers are interested in having different options for broadband Internet service.”

“The more competition there is for consumers, for them to have choices, the better off we are,” Katz said. “It’s really important for our state to have ubiquitous access to affordable high-speed broadband that is reliable and that touches every corner of out state.”

luther.turmelle@hearstmediact.com