By Henry Talacko, OMAHA, Neb. – Omaha residents are beginning to see more options when it comes to choosing an internet service provider. For years, many residents have had few choices for high-speed internet. That’s changing with new providers moving into the area.
“The more companies that come into an area and want to provide service, I think the better,” said Cullen Robbins, the Director of Telecommunications with the Nebraska Public Service Commission.
Robbins said having more options for internet service is not only good for consumers, but it also creates competition among providers.
“When you provide that extra choice, it tends to mean faster speeds, lower prices for customers,” said Scott Shapiro, Vice President of Communications at Metronet. Metronet is one of the new internet providers moving into the Omaha metro area.
Some Omaha residents are already switching to the new providers.
User RisingFist4Freedom wrote on Reddit, “Just switched from Cox to FiberFirst within the last year…now with faster speeds and more ISPs in town it’s creating competition.
FiberFirst had no installation fee or modem rental fee. The price I was advertised ($75) is the price I pay.
Another Reddit user TheSeventhBrat said, “I had been paying $97/month for Cox, but that went up to $132/month in February. I had Internet Ultimate 500 which gave me 500 up/50 down and 1.25TB of data… I’m paying $102/month for GF with 2gb up/down and no data limits. GF does not charge a monthly equipped rental either.”
Shapiro said Metronet looks for cities where the current internet service providers have not kept up with technology.
“So what Metronet does is it comes in and builds its fiber optic cable alongside, you know, coaxial cable or the old telephone lines and so then it can offer just much faster service to customers,” Shapiro said.
The company is in a two-year construction process to install fiber optic cables in Omaha. Metronet is working to install fiber in areas where other fiber providers have not yet installed cables.
He said construction can be messy, so the company tries to communicate with residents before beginning the work.
“We try to raise awareness for a couple months leading up to that,” Shapiro said.
That includes working with the city, sending out letters and postcards, and hanging door tags to notify residents of the upcoming construction.
Shapiro said internet access is essential for most people.
“People rely on it for school, work, health, keeping in touch with everybody. It’s not something that’s extra anymore, it really is a utility,” he said.
Robbins agrees, saying access to the internet has become a necessity for most people.
“It’s really become an essential part of everyone’s lives and really, I think, you know, COVID really kind of brought that all into focus, I think, for a lot of people,” Robbins said.
If you’d like to learn more about where the newest networks are being built, Douglas County has an online map showing where much of the current network construction is taking place.
