Home Cable

RCN; A Powerhouse by Any Standard

RCN is one of the biggest Internet Service Providers (ISP) in the nation. This "small" ISP is regularly rated as one of the best ISPs available.

| Posted by:

Category: Business Internet, Cable, Entertainment, Deals & Packages, News, Service Providers, TV | No Comments


RCN; A Powerhouse by Any Standard
RCN (Residential Communications Network), is one of the biggest Internet Service Providers (ISP) in the nation. Based out of Princeton, New Jersey, this ISP is regularly rated as one of the best ISPs out there by PC Mag. They work tirelessly to achieve these rankings and awards. You’d think a company with this much effort and acclaim would be one of the bigger ones out there. Well, it technically is…but not in terms of employees or presence. This puts RCN in a unique position.

By the Numbers

Rated as the eighth largest ISP in the nation, RCN is available in only four states, not including the DC metro area. You can find them in New York, the greater Lehigh Valley area, Boston, Chicago, Philadelphia, and as mentioned before, the DC metro area. This small presence is a strategic one. By setting up shop in these major cities and highly populated areas, RCN is able to provide internet, cable TV and voice to a significant portion of the overall population. So it works in their favor. But just being present here is not enough. RCN is still “small.” They’re always competing with the bigger companies. And it’s easy to assume that a small company is an easy target. Sometimes this is true. Sometimes it’s not. RCN falls into the latter category.

Where it Counts

To match the competition from the bigger companies, RCN is working hard to beat them on a metric that’s always tough- customer service. According to PC Mag, RCN is consistently ranked as one of the best in overall satisfaction. That alone is an interesting feat as they have a smaller customer base to work from. But think about it; for such a small customer base, RCN is able to garner such a following that they beat out companies two and three times their size. And this goes beyond customer satisfaction as well. RCN is also good on speed. To prove this, we go to Netflix. Netflix regularly monitors the providers who stream their service. They check download speeds during a specific time of the day- prime time. This is usually the hours of 5 pm to 10 pm. It doesn’t matter what time zone you’re in, prime time is easily the time of day when most customers are streaming their content. Netflix tracks this data throughout the year. Therefore, from August 2017 to August 2018, RCN ranked at 3.9 Mbps. That puts them in 19th position overall. Again, keep in mind that other slots in this list are occupied by much larger carriers. And some of those carriers are coming n behind RCN. Part of the reason for this is that RCN offers fiber connections in most of its service areas. They also have cable TV and voice services as well. You can bundle all three if you like. So check out RCN internet deals and packages to make sure you’re not missing out.

RCN is Advancing

While RCN is staying small, for the moment, they’re working to make improvements. For example; RCN Boston is one of the first ISPs to use green electricity. This came about back in February 2018. RCN Boston’s energy manager secured the vendor contract with IGS Energy, a green energy provider. Thanks to windmills, RCN Boston will have a smaller carbon footprint. In other news, at the beginning of 2018, RCN Lehigh Valley announced they were rolling out 1-gigabit communities. And that’s just news from 2018 alone. This puts RCN on the leading edge when it comes to ISPs. So often the larger companies are content to sit back and “do things the way they’ve always been done.” While this may work for a time, it will never delay the inevitable. Reminds me of another thing that was “small” but became a decisive factor.

USS Defiant

Before Hollywood began rebooting the franchise, and not making it any better, there was Star Trek: Deep Space 9. This series diverged from the original Star Trek in many ways; it was set on a space station and not the USS Enterprise, it had a mythic arc for the entire series and not self-contained episodes, and the Captain sported an awesome goatee by about the third season. As mentioned before, the show was set on the eponymous space station Deep Space 9. Deep Space 9 had once been the property of a foreign government that had subjugated another species. In the wake of a drawdown, the Federation took over the station and attempted to broker a treaty to include all three. Since the show was set on a space station, and space stations largely remain in one place, the ability to travel to other worlds was limited. In the season three premiere, the writers of the DS9 solved that problem.

Get a Better Ship

Up to that point, any “war ship” of the Federation was a small craft meant for short-range combat. Oh, and they were called “escort ships” so as not to sound too aggressive. The USS Enterprise, from both the original and Next Generation series, was a massive ship. Plenty of room to move around, spacious quarters, and the second one even had its own holodeck. Thanks to their size, these ships had weapons and shields for defense. So if the situation called for it, the Enterprise could fight back or come to the defense of an ally. The drawback here was their size. In reality, a ship that size wouldn’t be hampered by weight or friction in space. The budgets of a weekly sci-fi drama, however, made “realistic” depictions of space battles difficult. These shows were made back in the day of props and green screens. Thus, any “action” sequences of the ships involved moving a prop in front of a green screen and trying to make it look believable. By the time DS9 was in full swing, there was computer-generated imagery. This allowed the producers of DS9 to do two things- create more realistic space battles, and have ships maneuver more gracefully. By that point, however, everyone believed that a ship the size of the Enterprise was sluggish at best. Also, DS9 introduced some new enemies that required new technology to fight. Or, more accurately, technology the Federation hadn’t fully utilized. This is where we got the USS Defiant. The Defiant was created to combat a previous enemy, or so the narrative went.

Small Powerhouse

This ship was small compared to the Enterprise and others like. In fact, it was so small that space inside was at a premium. Quarters were barely the size of bunk beds. And there was no holodeck. While most of the amenities found on normal starships were removed, the weapons and powerplant were not. The Defiant, despite its size, still carried a warp core that could power the Enterprise. They also loaded it down with the normal weapon complement of a standard starship. There was a perk too- a cloaking device. The Defiant, small and swift, go also go invisible. Thanks to this “little ship,” the crew of DS9 could travel away from the station as they needed. Most of the time that was to drop kick bad guys and save stranded allies. And thanks to advanced effects, the Defiant moved gracefully through space, literally running circles around its opponents. Just like RCN is doing.

RCN and The Defiant

While it’s a “small” ISP, RCN is running circles around its competition, and deftly weaving in and out of spaces the bigger ones can’t. While the big companies may have the money and reach that RCN doesn’t, they’re slow to react. This is putting RCN in a superior position. As the small ISP leverages this advantage, I wouldn’t be surprised to see more and more people switch to RCN as soon as its available to them.

Strategy and Spectrum

Charter Communications, better known as Spectrum, is doing well. They have a strategy in place for growth, even if there are a few major obstacles.

| Posted by:

Category: Business Internet, Cable, Entertainment, Gaming, Humor, Service Providers, Technology, TV | No Comments


Strategy and Spectrum

Charter Communications, better known as Spectrum, is doing well, all things considered.

True, the State of New York is waffling on whether to allow the merger between Charter Communications and Time Warner to stand. And they’re also working to oust the cable provider from the state itself.

This comes after the state’s Public Service Commission declared that Charter was moving too slowly in fulfilling its promises.

As a result, they slapped the ISP (internet service provider) with a hefty fine and declared they had thirty days to move out of the state. While this may seem extreme, Charter is still in New York as the wheels of politics are slow at best. On August 21st, 2018, it was declared they had a two-week extension. No new news has surfaced after that.

As the dispute drags out, frustrating Spectrum customers, the company itself, and still raising questions over the Time Warner-Charter Communications merger, we can look to an odd source for guidance in this situation.

The game of Risk.

World Domination in Two Dimensions

Risk is a classic board game that allows players to attempt to take over the world. The first edition of the game was your basic map of the world. Most of the countries and nations were simplified into general territories. Each continent was turned into its own entity and there were set paths for entrance.

The goal was simple- control as much of the board as possible. Take out your “friends,” and make sure your armies were everywhere.

Risk has taken on many different versions over the years.

Variations

The ones that I’m most fond of are the Lord of the Rings, Halo, and Legacy editions. These take the basic concept of Risk and apply it to a new map with a few exclusive perks.

For example; Risk: Legacy had some of the oddest armies involved, such as the Enclave of the Bear. This army of genetically altered humans looked the Doth Raki from Game of Thrones. But they came with a unique bonus. More than that, bonuses could be added during each game.

Every time you played Risk: Legacy, the board changed. It would remain that way for the next game and change some more.

One principle remained in all versions of the game- dice rolling.

For each attack, the attacking player got up to three dice. This is where it got tricky for me- if I had more than three armies, I got three die. Two armies= two dice, and one army= one die. In the heat of trying to take a country, I usually forgot this and just kept throwing dice.

The defender, if that person had two armies, got two dice. And, of course, one die= one army.

Both sides would roll.

Your highest dice roll would be matched up the highest dice roll of your opponent. The second-highest to their second highest.

If you had higher dice rolls than theirs, then you won that attack. They’d lose two armies and you’d roll again until you either decimated them, or you were decimated.

It was a little confusing for me at first, and to be honest, it still is. I need constant reminders when I play.

Anyway, you may have a ton of armies, but a few bad dice rolls may derail any visions of swift and decisive victory.

I can recall the ONE time that I won at Risk.

My ONE Victory

It was 2010 and I was still looking for a steady job. My best friend still had the Lord of the Rings Risk that he had “borrowed” from another friend back in college.

About four of us came to his apartment on a Saturday and instead of just watching TV all day, we decided to play Risk.

Up to that point, I had lost every time I played. Most of the time it was a solid and humiliating defeat. But being the good sport that I am, I decided I would play yet again. After all, I was among friends and they so enjoyed the feeling of success when they soundly pummeled me in a game that had no real-life application.

But I read more books than them, so I’m the real winner here.

Anyway, the game got started as it usually did and I worked my normal strategy- expand as fast as possible. In hindsight, this is a severely flawed strategy. No matter how much space you occupy on the board, you leave yourself open to attack from multiple fronts. Then again, if you fortify and make them come to you, you don’t expand and score more territories. You just spend the game sitting in a corner and waiting for someone to come to play with you.

In this specific instance, I had the dice rolls on my side. I won a few early victories. These victories lead to control of key regions. And with these regions, I got the extra armies I always so desperately needed.

With the extra armies, I was able to ride out a few losses and keep expanding.

Soon the board was controlled by a vastly more intelligent and benevolent ruler.

Me.

This day has been marked in history so that none of my friends forget it. I also make sure to remind my wife regularly as well.

Now, if only I could take what I’d learned in this game and apply it to real-life somehow?

Risk and Spectrum

Okay, so let’s apply this analogy to Spectrum.

They’re working to expand their footprint everywhere in the nation. They’re not some army bent on controlling the world. No, instead they’re working hard to connect as many people as possible.

To do this they need to move into new territories and establish roots.

So, in a sense, they do act like the little figurines in a game of Risk.

As they work to move into a new space, they’re essentially rolling die to see how smoothly the process goes. The defender die could be anything from bureaucratic red tape to rival companies trying to force them out.

In the case of New York State, they didn’t have the dice rolls on their side.

Now they’re having to retreat.

Risk and the Bigger Picture

I admit this is a simplistic way of looking at the current state of ISPs, especially Spectrum.

It does make it easier for me to figure out what’s going on though.

Anyway, Spectrum is working to resolve the issue with New York State, as well as ensure that the merger with Time Warner stands. With those two obstacles holding them up, Spectrum is going to have trouble implementing other initiatives that could help more and more customers.

That’s kind of ironic when you think about it.

It’s also frustrating when you realize that Spectrum is one of the better ISPs out there.

By the Numbers

Spectrum is one of the faster providers out there.

This is proven thanks to the Netflix ISP speed index.

Netflix regularly monitors the various ISPs they partner with. During peak viewing hours, that is, the hours between 5 pm and 10 pm, Netflix is monitoring how fast ISPs can stream their content.

From August 2017 to August 2018, Spectrum averaged 3.95 Mbps.

That’s a good number.

Even better is that, despite having issues in New York, Spectrum is available in 48 states, and 9,179 zip codes across the nation. This puts them in the second spot for largest ISP in the nation.

Spectrum, like many other ISPs, offers internet through cable and fiber. They also have voice and cable TV services as well.

So make sure to check out Spectrum internet and cable deals. Not only are they a fast and reliable ISP, but they can also bundle a lot of services for you. This will, in turn, save you money and time.

Winning the Game of Risk

While Spectrum works to resolve the issue with New York, that still leaves about 47 states that they can still help. Which is good news for most of the country.

If you’re in New York though, sorry.

They might get it cleared up soon enough and you can see if they provide internet to your home.

In the meantime, pull out your Risk board game and get playing.

If you don’t have one, then you need to get to your nearest retailer and get one. I’m not saying this because I get a cut of the profits. Instead, I’m advising you to play a game that’s a lot of fun and just once, just once, you might get the chance to rule the world.

CenturyLink; Getting the Job Done

CenturyLink is consistently providing above-average services to both residential and business customers. They've got a few awards to prove it too!

| Posted by:

Category: Business Internet, Cable, Deals & Packages, Reviews, Service Providers, Streaming, Technology | No Comments


CenturyLink; Getting the Job Done

CenturyLink, based out of Monroe, LA, has been consistently working hard to help both residential and business customers stay connected. The argument could be made that all internet service providers (ISPs) do this. That is, after all, their main job. Because an ISP who doesn’t keep their customers connected will not be around for long. Despite this, there are still the okay, the good, and the exceptional ISPs. The difference between the ISPs who are exceptional, and those who aren’t, is not defined by awards. Sure, awards are nice. And it’s easy to point to them and say “we won that because we did X really well.” In fact, CenturyLink earned Frost & Sullivan’s Growth Excellence Award for 2018. And earned their Top Hybrid Service Provider in the Asia-Pacific region for the fourth year in a row. And that’s just naming the awards won for this year. But it’s not about the awards. The mark of a good ISP is when they can deliver this service without anyone noticing. In the ISP industry, as with many others, customers are quick to point out when things go wrong. Even if it’s a minor detail, there is always that “one” customer who will make a fuss about it. This is where the bulk of customer complaints/reviews come from. While these are helpful in deducing quality, they’re to be taken with a grain of salt. Reviews are usually written by someone who’s upset and wants to vent about it. As the old saying goes “You only notice it when it goes wrong.”


When It’s Obvious

Think of a college football game. There’s the team you’re rooting for, most likely your alma mater. If not your alma mater, then you’re most likely rooting for the team that’s playing against your most hated rivals. Anyway, there are the offensive players, charging up and down the field as they work to score points. And then there are the defensive players. These guys are tasked with keeping the other team from scoring points as well. They battle each other on the field, scoring, intercepting, kicking, and this is where the main action is. Throughout all of this, what’s the one thing in the background you can count on? The marching band. Each team brings their band with them to play the school fight song, covers of current pop hits, and other tunes to get the crowd involved. These bands work hard to do this every week. And these efforts usually go unnoticed. That is until someone makes a mistake. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YFB7y5j8UWc


When It’s Not

CenturyLink is the band that’s not making mistakes. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ed_oZOiUwBM Go Warhawks! On a side note; I would have highlighted Texas A&M’s Fightin’ Texas Aggie Band. Not because it’s my alma mater, but because many of my in-laws went there. To keep peace in the family, I root for them when it’s appropriate. In this instance, however, priorities are different.


Back to CenturyLink…

CenturyLink, just like the Warhawk Band, consistently helping the team out on the field. And during halftime, they get to show off their stuff. But the “marching band” metaphor can only go so far. CenturyLink is not only working and earning awards for it, but they’re also helping their local communities. Back in June, they held a campaign benefiting Fight Hunger. By the end of the campaign, they’d raised over $2.4 Million for Fight Hunger. Beyond that, they helped during Hurricane Florence. CenturyLink offered free Emergency Call Forward to its North Carolina customers during the event. This service allows customers to forward calls to their wireless number to an alternate number. It’s a “just-in-case” plan for when residents need to evacuate or can’t get service to let their families know what’s happening. They may never use it, but it’s nice to have it for peace of mind. And CenturyLink provided this service for free.


By the Numbers

With a presence in 39 states and 7,339 zip codes, CenturyLink is one of the top ten largest ISPs in the nation. They’re working to expand that presence, hence, the recent merger with Level 3. CenturyLink is also expanding overseas. They have a presence in other countries and are looking to reach out into more. But let’s focus on just the United States for now. CenturyLink provides internet, cable, and voice services through three technologies. What they’re best known for is their DSL service, which is consistently ranked as one of the best in the nation. When it comes to fiber, CenturyLink has fiber connections in fifteen states, offering Gigabit Download speeds. Lastly, CenturyLink also offers fixed wireless. This service is available to both rural and urban customers. It’s a good option for those who don’t want a DSL connection, fiber is unavailable, and don’t want to go with satellite. Check out the best internet deals to find out CenturyLink’s availability in your area. The common complaint with ISPs is their speeds “as fast as” marketing. This means that the speed they’re advertising is not always the speed you get. When it comes to CenturyLink, they’re ranked in the top 60 ISPs when it comes to speed during peak hours. Peak hours are generally between 5 pm and 10 pm. This is when Netflix notices higher than average downloads through their service. They monitor each provider to see how fast they’re downloading during these times and post the results online. For CenturyLink, from August 2017 to August 2018, they averaged 3.31 Mbps for both their fiber and DSL services. This is a good score.


Businesses

On top of earning awards from Frost & Sullivan, CenturyLink was also named the top ethernet carrier in the US for 2017 by Vertical Systems Group. It was the first year that a network provider other than AT&T won the award. Thanks to a merger with Level 3, CenturyLink was able to vault from fifth in 2016 to first in 2017. By working with Level 3’s established connections and adding their own grit to the equation, CenturyLink came first over all. To earn this award, Century Link offers a wide range of business solutions to customers. Services like Networking, Hybrid IT & Cloud, UCaaS, Managed & IT Services, as well as security. For those small to medium-sized businesses, CenturyLink is a smart option. With an established ISP like CenturyLink providing a wide range of services, newer companies are in good hands as they work to grow.

Connect with CenturyLink

Even if you’re not a marching band fanatic, the fact remains- CenturyLink is working hard to help both residential and business customers.

. 

It is impressive, however, how drum corps’ work to choreograph and orchestrate these halftime shows. To do so takes a lot of time and effort to perfect the routine. Marching bands showcase this skill with yearly competitions, giving them an opportunity to shine. It’s too bad they don’t get as much attention as football does. CenturyLink, while not a marching band, is working hard to make multiple pieces move and work together with little or no issues involved. It’s not easy, nor should it be. And to earn awards means that someone’s watching. So if you’re in the market for a new ISP, be it for your home or your business, check out CenturyLink. It’ll be worth your time.

WOW is Stepping Up Their Game

The ISP industry is full of tough competition. The bigger players assume they'll win. But they're ignorant of challenger brands, like WOW.

| Posted by:

Category: Business Internet, Cable, Deals & Packages, News, Reviews, Service Providers, Streaming, Technology | No Comments


WOW is Stepping Up Their Game

Updated 02/26/2020

The ISP (internet service provider) industry is full of tough competition. Much like the fabled game of golf, being an ISP requires companies to read the landscape and adjust as necessary. Larger, more established companies are seen as the favorites, easy winners. But they're ignorant of the challengers. Challengers like WOW (Wide Open West). Coming up this weekend, the PGA is hosting the Ryder Cup in Paris, France, at Le Golf National Golf Course. It’s one of the many tour championships the PGA hosts throughout the year. And much like internet service providers, there are the well-known names, and then there are the challengers.

Golf is Golf

Golf is a difficult game to play. Some would argue it’s a difficult game to watch too. The golf enthusiast would argue differently though. Golf requires strategy and skill. It’s not an easy game to play. Anyone can pick up a golf club. But it takes training and commitment to play well. Talent will only get you so far. Professional golfers practice constantly to ensure they’re ready for the big games. If they don’t perform well, then they’re not going to get sponsored. Then they don’t have a job. To get an edge in the game, golfers need to know how to read the elements around them. This is why you usually see a golf player staring pensively at the horizon as they get ready to tee off. They’re calculating the slope of the ground, wind speed, and how much force they’ll need to put into their swing. If a professional golfer were writing this, they’d likely add a lot more detail, discuss the nuance, and explain the exact science behind evaluating a shot. To summarize- it’s a lot! Luckily for golfers, the only time they need worry about this is doing this during a game. Companies like WOW, on the other hand, have to worry about this constantly.

ISPs are Not Like a Game of Golf

While golf is a challenging game, it’s only during games that competition is stiff. ISPs are competing constantly. The larger brands, like AT&T and Verizon, are well-established and have huge budgets behind their marketing. It’s “easier” for them to expand and try out new technologies. Even though they are the fifth-largest ISP in the nation, WOW is a challenger brand. They have the skills to compete with the big brands, yet, they’re having to break into markets. WOW! isn’t small by any measure. It’s just that other companies are so huge. WOW! is using this to their advantage. As a challenger brand, they’re working harder to compete on price, service, and cutting-edge technology.

Whole-Home Wi-Fi

A common complaint with wi-fi is the loss of signal even when you’re inside your home. The router may be centrally located, but the signal is getting blocked by other materials and elements in the house. As the concept of mesh wi-fi gains in popularity, WOW! is taking part in the newest trend. A mesh wi-fi uses extra devices to connect to your wi-fi router. These little devices, dubbed satellites, are plugged in throughout the home and create a miniature wi-fi network within your home. WOW is partnering with EERO to provide mesh wi-fi to its customers. As part of their Whole Home Wi-Fi package, customers not only get wi-fi, but the mesh satellites are included with the service. Whole Home will help eliminate dead zones within the home. They also help when friends and family come over as well. All those extra devices on the network can bog down your speed. With a mesh wi-fi network, you’ll be able to handle the extra load.

Mesh Wi-Fi

With a mesh wi-fi, you’ll get to enjoy consistent speeds within your home. This will give you the speed you’re paying for and deliver it most of the time. Another perk of mesh wi-fi is you can move the satellites from room to room. These little satellites will work so long as they’re plugged in and within range of the router. If you want to expand your network to your garage so you can play your music while you work on your car…you can. Or say you have friends coming over and they want to hang out outside. You can move one of your satellites to an outdoor plug so you don’t have to sacrifice wi-fi coverage.

WOW! as a Challenger

Beyond mesh wi-fi, WOW! is already a solid ISP. Just ask Netflix. Netflix has a speed index rating system. They constantly check the download speeds during peak hours. These hours are generally between 5 and 10 pm at night. It’s during this time that most families are home. And when they’re home, they listening to music, watching TV, or surfing the web. To do that, they use up the wi-fi. Then there’s the house next door that’s full of people using their wi-fi too. ISPs generally see a dip in performance during this time. As everyone gets online and uses their bandwidth, the ISP compensates. This usually means slowing down to handle moving all that data at once. From August of 2017 to August of 2018, WOW! averaged 4.03 Mbps. Considering the best ranking on the index is 4.19, that’s not bad at all. WOW! is able to consistently deliver even during peak hours. So if you’re a golf enthusiast who has WOW! as your ISP, you’re in luck!

Competing 24/7

Unlike golf, WOW! is competing 24 hours a day, seven days a week with companies that are bigger and more established. This hasn’t seemed to be a problem. Back in August 2018, WOW! partnered with Breland Companies to provide fiber internet to Town Madison. Town Madison is a new housing development in Huntsville, AL. As more and more home features are going digital, WOW! getting in on the development of the homes themselves and installing the necessary equipment to make them “digital ready” when they’re finished. Fiber optic internet, the fastest internet connection available, is going to be installed in Town Madison. Residents will get to enjoy above-average speeds. This will be especially helpful as the community grows and smart home devices become more prevalent.

Check out WOW!

For those who enjoy golf, or any sport for that matter, make sure to check out coverage of the Ryder Cup this weekend. Better yet, make sure to check out WOW! internet deals and packages. By combining your internet, cable, and voice through WOW! you’ll be able to cut back on bills and save time. All your services will come through one provider. And for those who are not golf enthusiasts or have never been on a golf course in your life, there are plenty of other sports to watch and enjoy. Or movies, or music! Make sure you take advantage of the mesh wi-fi. You’ll be able to move freely about your home without worrying about stumbling into a dead spot.

Windstream Internet Review 2020

For those who haven’t heard of Windstream yet, consider this your first introduction. As they expand, and help more people, we'll hear a lot more.

| Posted by:

Category: Business Internet, Cable, Deals & Packages, News, Reviews, Service Providers, Streaming, Technology | No Comments


Windstream Internet Review 2020

Windstream Internet Review 2020

It is the year 2020 and with all the talk about coronavirus some stories are getting buried especially those about companies who are providing excellent internet and tv service.  For those who haven’t heard of Windstream yet, consider this your first introduction. If this were a movie, there’d be this cool intro where the CEO of Windstream would walk in and start talking about…something important. Or, if the movie was created and produced for younger ages, there would be a song and dance number. As a comedy, Windstream would be portrayed as the hardworking company that was getting no love in the media. What’s important to understand is that Windstream is expanding and they’re doing so at a consistent rate. Whether they ever make their story into a movie is not the point. Would make for an interesting movie though.

By the Numbers

Windstream currently has a presence in all fifty states. Of the 42,000 zip codes in the United States, you can find Windstream in 14,854 of them. If my math is correct, that’s 35% of the country. That’s not bad. The 35% of the country that can get Windstream service, there’s a range of options available. Depending on the area, customers can choose DSL, cable, fiber, and fixed wireless. Check with the best Windstream deals to find out what’s available in your area. Their top download speeds, for fiber, is 1 gigabit. That’s their fastest. Unfortunately, their fiber coverage is only 20% of their total areas served. But it’s not all bad, there are other services that you can get to make it worth your while. Windstream is also one of the top providers when it comes to downloading times during peak hours. Netflix has this handy speed index that calculates every provider and how well they handle downloads during peak hours. These peak hours are usually 5-10 pm every night. The average for their DSL connections over the last year is 3.17 Mbps during peak hours. This makes them one of the more reliable ISPs out there. That reputation for reliability has also helped them as they seek to expand. Within the last two years, they’ve merged with Earthlink and acquired Broadview Networks. Through these expansions, they’ve been able to utilize and incorporate these networks into their unique branding.

What Have They Been Up To?

Like any good company, Windstream has been busy.

Veterans and Military

In August, they were named ranked among the best companies for veterans. US Veteran’s Magazine listed Windstream on their Best of the Best Top Veteran-Friendly Companies. Windstream stood out among the other 350 companies that participated. The Military Friendly Designation was also bestowed on Windstream by VIQTORY with help from the Military Friendly Advisory Council. They were ranked eighth for the 2019 fiscal year.

Fixed Wireless

Windstream has also been working to expand their fixed wireless capabilities. Unlike satellite internet and tv companies like hughesnet, viasat and directv, which can be affected by weather, fixed wireless uses line-of-sight. A receiver, installed on the home or structure, will connect with the transmitter on a tower or a tall structure. So long as the line-of-sight is unimpeded, customers can get reliable internet. This method is far more cost-effective for rural customers, and for ISP startups. Windstream utilized this technology to connect Poteau, OK. Located in Eastern Oklahoma, Poteau is like any other city; they need reliable internet to connect to the larger world. Given Poteau’s rural location, however, deploying fixed broadband to the area has been economically challenging. Windstream took on that challenge and rolled out fixed wireless technology to the area. So far, the first phase allows 900 residents to get fixed wireless installed. When the entire project is completed, about 8,800 residents will have access to fixed wireless. As fixed wireless technology expands, residents who once had their options severely limited, if any at all, now have the same opportunities as those in more urban areas. And Windstream is part of realizing that dream.

Their Biggest News

While Windstream is helping to connect rural areas, as well as residential customers, they’re all helping small businesses. To do this, they created OfficeSuite UC. OfficeSuite provides a means for small to medium-sized businesses to run their operations through the cloud. Like most UCaaS (Unified Communications as a Service), OfficeSuite provides a means for small business to send messages, collaborate, and meet, among other things, all through cloud connectivity. What’s set OfficeSuite apart is the fact they’ve grown by 20% year-over-year. While this may not sound terribly exciting to most people, when you stop to think about it, it’s quite mind-boggling.

What this Means for Windstream

Winning awards, accolades, and exceeding sales goals are all signs of healthy company growth. But it’s nothing new. What really matters is what Windstream is doing. And more important than that, what is Windstream working towards? Let’s see... Windstream is on target to expand and help more and more customers connect to the internet. With this as their main goal, Windstream is working hard to make this a reality. The fact that they’re winning awards and hitting sales goals is just icing on the cake. These metrics are really pointing to how many new customers they’re helping, and how they’re running their business. And it’s working. Windstream, though considered “small” is doing more than what the bigger companies are; they’re utilizing different technology and targeting unique markets. They’re doing things differently. While the bigger companies are still around, they’re expanding into more and more markets. If AT&T’s purchase of Time-Warner isn’t contested, then AT&T’s focus will shift. They’ll begin to expand HBO and other entertainment properties held by Time-Warner. Providing more and more entertainment options seems to be their top priority, rather than reaching more and more customers. Windstream is moving up into the void created by such expansion. While it probably won’t hurt AT&T too much, Windstream stands to gain a lot from AT&T’s lack of focus in this area. If this were a movie with a good scriptwriter, there’d be some intriguing scenes written about this expansion. Instead of a boardroom, there’d likely be shots of exec’s walking around, talking with sharp wit about what to do now that AT&T is distracted. That is if this were a movie.

Try out Windstream

I know I keep bringing up the movie analogy, but what can I say? I watch a lot of movies. Out in the real-world Windstream is a solid company with more than just internet to offer. They have OfficeSuite. They’re also actively utilizing fixed wireless and working with veterans and the military. It wouldn’t be so surprising to see them overtake one of the “bigger” names like AT&T internet, Centurylink Internet, Spectrum internet soon

. Even if that doesn’t happen, Windstream is one of the many ISPs available across the United States. It may not be as big as let's say a Comcast Xfinity, Spectrum, Centurylink or ATT but don't let that fool you.  Windstream internet deals, streaming options and customer service make it a formidable opponent to the bigger internet and cable companies in the US.  To find if they have a presence in your area, input your zip code through Konecteaze This way you’ll see the deals, and who’s providing them, in your area. And then you can stream any movie, or show, written by Aaron Sorkin that involves lots of walking and dialogue. One can easily get the impression that all company executives talk this way. This couldn’t be farther from the truth. The truth is that despite no snappy dialogue, Windstream is doing above-average work and is worth taking a lot into.