At a recent meeting, Milford City Council agreed to a contract with IQ Fiber, allowing them to use existing poles to attach fiber optic cable in order to provide additional service options to consumers. Mark Wagner, Vice-President of New Markets, along with Dee Anna Sobczak, Senior Vice President and General manager, provide details on what services they would provide.
“We are a fiber optic broadband provider, and we are currently building fiber optic networks in Delaware. We have our franchise agreements with DelDOT, and we are building a lot of projects, including what will be in Milford,” Wagner said. “But within the city of Milford, we were asking permission to be on your poles when necessary. And we’re also asking permission to be in your right of way areas along your streets and roadways where that is going to be required for this project.”
Wagner stated that he believed everyone understood what fiber optics meant and that his company planned to make a large investment in the community.
“We look for communities like Milford that don’t currently have an alternative provider. And what you’re seeing is data, and upload speeds, because what you guys currently have is Comcast, and what cable does really, really well, is download speeds,” Wagner said. “It Is a large antenna. It’s an electric system. We are not; we are fiber, 100% fiber. It’s a passive system, and we have the same speeds.”
Wagner provided details on pricing compared to Comcast, showing that the highest speed offered by their competitor cost customers $110 a month plus a $100 installation fee. This was a “teaser” price that would like to increase after a set period. The cost for IQ Fiber for the same speed was $85 per month with no installation fee. That cost was also a set fee and not a “teaser.” In addition, fiber offered speeds much higher than cable at 5000 Mbps as opposed to cable at 1000 Mbps. The cost for the highest speed with IQ Fiber was $125 per month. Comcast requires contracts while IQ Fiber would not. Instead, they offer a month-to-month subscription plan. When asked about commercial, Wagner confirmed they do offer commercial services.
“When we come through, we put door hangers with a QR code on the back where residents can go and if they have any construction concerns, it will take t hem directly to the person they need to speak with,” Wagner said. “We also mail postcards and let people know we’re coming through. Once we are in a community, we are here forever, so we become a community partner. We sponsor things, we have a great presence.”
Mayor Todd Culotta questioned how the company could handle large data needs.
“People want to build data centers in our new business park and that would be a lot of data,” Culotta said. “Can you guys handle that kind of load?”
Wagner explained that fiber was designed to carry heavy data loads. In addition, Wagner stated that when a new provider comes into town, it is a win-win for residents because even if they decide to stay with Comcast/Xfinity, they become a bit less aggressive as they no longer have a monopoly.
Council approved the agreement with a vote of seven to zero as Councilwoman Katrina Wilson had to leave the meeting before the presentation.
