MEMBER COMMENT #1 – ANGELA SAXE
OPALCO Board:
In August 2014, when I attended my first broadband meeting with Gerry Lawlor, I thought, “Should we trust this guy? Can he really deliver broadband?”
YES!!! Gerry and the hardworking Rock Island team got the first Spring Point modem lit up in less time than it took us Spring Point homeowners to pass the middle mile assessment and secure a loan. I suspect I’ll continue hearing cheers go up around the neighborhood as more of my neighbors are brought online.
I keep re-running the internet speed test just to see the needle hit 200 MBPS–DOUBLE the top speed that Gerry had committed to. My client conference calls no longer drop. My husband no longer refreshes his coffee cup while mapping files upload/download. We no longer wonder where we will have to relocate our business.
I sincerely want to thank the Rock Island staff and contractors for:
• Patiently answering (and re-answering) the myriad of questions from me, the Spring Point board
and members of our community
• Installing approximately six miles of middle mile conduit and fiber in a topographically
challenging neighborhood while keeping our middle mile costs well under budget
• Delivering an outstanding last mile experience – our conduit installation was complete in about
two hours and the fiber and modem installation took less than an hour
I continue to hear positive reports. Just yesterday, a neighbor told me how impressed she has been with the Rock Island folks – including Brian, Justin, Alan, and Dan – and how it is clear that they are extremely passionate about their work and the impact broadband will make in this community. Another neighbor said the guys came out at 7:30 PM the other night to fix an issue that had come up. These guys are working long hours. They are dealing with challenging landscapes, aggressive timelines, and impatient customers clamoring to be next. They have bent over backwards and are absolutely to be commended.
I want to thank the OPALCO board for showing its commitment to San Juan County by advancing this forward-thinking initiative and thus laying the foundation for improved emergency communications and greater economic vitality. Your leadership is setting an example that I hope will be followed by other co-ops across the nation. Broadband is quickly becoming a must-have utility. I can think of no one better equipped to deliver it than OPALCO and Rock Island.
Thank you – and well done!
Angela Saxe