Late last year, Suddenlink announced a nationwide initiative called Project Gigabit to offer 1 Gbps plans to 90% of their customers by 2017. They also announced that for those customers the lowest speed plans would go from 15 Mbps to 200Mbps.
This month, they announced plans to upgrade technology used in Fort Scott. Gene Regan from Suddenlink said that customers would be receiving information about upgrades to their television service and that while subscribers may be required to upgrade their equipment, that there would be a way to do so with no up-front and no monthly charge.
After getting the details from the team working on the upgrade, Mr. Regan couldn’t say what Internet speeds would be available nor could he say if the upgrades would bring broadband level speeds to the area. Currently the fastest residential plans offered by Suddenlink in Fort Scott are 15 Mbps download and 1.5 Mbps upload. To meet the definition of broadband, service must be at least 25 Mbps download and 3 Mbps upload. Currently there is no wired residential provider that offers this level of service in Fort Scott.
The Suddenlink press release follows:
Contact: Gene Regan, 314-315-9644, gene.regan@suddenlink.com
Suddenlink Upgrading Fort Scott to All-Digital TV, Faster Internet
FORT SCOTT, Kan. (April 6, 2015) – Suddenlink announced today that it is upgrading technology in Fort Scott. Suddenlink has been working with City Manager Dave Martin and Economic Development Director Heather Griffith to enhance its advanced video services as well as launch faster high-speed Internet services.
“Dedicated community members, city, and county officials have worked together for a long time advocating for additional bandwidth and faster Internet speeds in Fort Scott,” Griffith said. “In today’s technology-driven environment, businesses and residents rely heavily on the Internet for work and recreation. We at the city are pleased to work with Suddenlink as they make significant upgrades to their current offerings in our community.”
Preliminary field work has begun and the first new services will be available in early summer. Customers will be receiving updates on the project’s status as well as when the new services and enhancements will be available.
The first phase of local work in the community will facilitate a new, all-digital TV lineup. Digital TV features superior picture and sound quality.
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Suddenlink (suddenlink.com) is the seventh largest cable operator in the United States, supporting the information, communication and entertainment demands of approximately 1.4 million residential and commercial customers in Arkansas, Kansas, Louisiana, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Texas, West Virginia and elsewhere. Suddenlink simplifies its customers’ lives through one call for support, one connection, and one bill for TV, Internet, phone and other services.