City of Wilson :: News

Greenlight channel lineup, prices now available

6/3/2008

Prices and options for Wilson's all fiber network, Greenlight, are now available online at http://www.greenlightnc.com. The new website includes channel lineups, telephone services and lots of other information.

The channels include favorites such as Discovery, ESPN, CNN, Fox News, Disney and hundreds of others. Greenlight also includes more free HD channels than are currently available from the incumbent cable provider.

Service will be available to a limited number of homes at first as the network is built. In the coming months it will be available to everyone.

Contact person for new, existing businesses

10/22/2007

Want to learn more about how Wilson's fiber optic technology can work for your business?

Call Rhonda Lyndon at 205-9622 or send her a note at rlyndon@wilsonnc.org. Rhonda knows the area well with years of experience in the telecommunications industry.

She'll be happy to work with you to see how fiber can boost your business.

Citizens with underground utilities can pre-order

8/10/2007

People who live in neighborhoods with underground utilities received a letter recently about a pre-order service offered by the city of Wilson. Residents are encouraged to send in the business-reply cards included in the letter if they are seriously considering a purchase of broadband Internet, cable TV and/or or phone services when it becomes available in a few months.

The letter was sent only to neighborhoods with underground utilites because the fiber optic network is more difficult to install there. The lines have to be put underground. By pre-ordering service now, homeowners allow us to bury a small pipe (3/4" conduit") under their yard from the curb to their house. This will speed up service availability later and minimize any digging their yard would endure later.

Here is the text of the letter:

Dear City of Wilson Resident,

The City of Wilson is expanding its new fiber to the premises (FTTP) network to launch residential broadband Internet, video and telephone services in our community. You may have seen work crews installing fiber in your neighborhood recently.

Many people have asked for the opportunity to have a fiber line pre-installed to their premises during the initial construction phase. We are happy to fill that request.

We are now accepting pre-orders for broadband, video and/or telephone connections during underground construction in your area.

You will be under no obligation to subscribe to broadband Internet, cable or telephone services when these services become available. However, if you’re interested, submitting a pre-order enables us to install the fiber optic cable in your yard during this initial construction phase. When the service becomes available, we will be able to activate service without disrupting your yard a second time.

Pre-ordering is free. It does not lock you in to service, but it will make the process simpler should you choose to order. We will notify you when service becomes available.

If you’re interested in pre-ordering fiber optic services from the City of Wilson, please complete and return the postage-paid response card included in this envelope.

If you’d like more information, call 296.3312 (M-F, 8:30am-8pm and Saturday 10am-2pm) or visit our customer service locations at City Hall or City Hall at the Mall (Wilson Mall near the food court). We also post frequent updates to the city’s website, wilsonnc.org.

Anti-muni house bill goes to commitee; victory for cities

7/24/2007

The house bill that would have threatened Wilson's fiber optic network was moved to a study committee Tuesday afternoon where it will stay until 2009. Cities across NC count this as a victory for local rights.

Wilson has been expanding its fiber optic network and will continue to do so. Once the network is complete, we will offer Internet broadband service, TV service and telephone service to any city address that asks for it. Only subscriber money will be used to pay for it; no tax money will be used.

"We're grateful to members of the house finance commitee," said City Manager Grant Goings. "They specifically said that the grass roots effort from dozens of cities and organizations, including Wilson, influenced their decision."

Wilson's all-fiber network is growing each day as crews add it to underground utility areas and above-ground areas. The city expects to offer services in the first quarter of next year.

City Council passes resolution regarding HB 1587

5/25/2007

NC House Bill 1587 is in the Utility committee of the NC Legislature. Called the “Local Government Fair Competition Act”, many people see it as a bill that would PREVENT competition by sandbagging municipalities and protecting the incumbent providers. NC lawmakers have not voted on it yet. You can read the entire bill here.

Thursday night, Wilson’s elected leaders passed this resolution unanimously. The Public Works Commission of Fayetteville passed a similar resolution earlier this week.

Wilson City Attorney Jim Cauley said this week, “In the interest of corporate protectionism, it will create such a barrier to the construction of municipal broadband infrastructure that many citizens will not have access to high-speed fiber-optic services in the foreseeable future, thereby making our economic development efforts that much more difficult.”

The NC League of Municipalities is also against this bill. In the group’s Legislative Bulletin dated May 18th, the League says, “Access to high-speed broadband service is critical for the future economic development of our state as we attempt to replace our lost textile, tobacco, and furniture jobs. HB 1587 will effectively prevent local governments from bringing high-speed broadband to North Carolina communities, especially to rural and distressed urban areas. Through their opposition to build-out requirements, the industry has made it clear they have no intention of investing in such areas.” The League represents 522 cities, towns and villages in NC.

The bill was approved by the House Public Utilities Committee on June 6 and will be taken up by the House Finance Committee soon.

Buildout begins for fiber optic network

5/21/2007

Better service for Internet, phone and cable TV is on its way to your house. Expansion of the City’s fiber optic network began this week. Building is also underway for housing the head-end or the central source for all Internet connections.

Today, work crews began expansion of the fiber network in neighborhoods that are centrally located within the city. Fiber will be installed either above or below ground, depending on where current electrical services are in the area. Service to some neighborhoods will begin as early as January 2008.

The City of Wilson has hired technicians with Fiber Technologies, Inc., who will continue installing fiber to other neighborhoods and businesses over the next eighteen months or so.

“We are excited to begin expansion of our network that has been in place for over a year now, “said Brian Bowman, Manager of Public Affairs. “Better services and options are on the way for our citizens.”

Work crews will be hanging bright green flyers on doorknobs of the homes along the streets where they will be installing the fiber network. You can see one of the flyers here.

More information on competitive pricing will be available as construction of the expanded network continues.

Commission approves fiber financing unanimously

3/16/2007

Wilson – The City of Wilson received good news this week as the NC Local Government Commission approved financing for the city’s fiber optic network expansion. The LGC’s approval gives the city the go-ahead to borrow funding for the network’s completion.

North Carolina’s LGC has earned a reputation as one of the most fiscally prudent in the nation. The process took several months.

“We’re very happy the Commission members made this decision unanimously,” said Wilson City Manager Grant Goings. “We knew the business plan was fiscally conservative, and it’s encouraging to know that they’ve seen our information and voted to approve it.”

City staff continues to work with experts from the public and private sectors to make sure the network is not only superior but efficient.

The city’s fiber optic network has connected city facilities since March 2006. The expansion will begin soon and will be completed in the next two years or so. The first residential customers will have access to high-speed Internet, cable TV and phone later this year.

Mayor letter addresses fiber optic network expansion

2/21/2007

Get a letter from Mayor Rose this week? The city wants you to know about the fiber optic network expansion; why Council voted for it unanimously and why it’s coming to every neighborhood eventually.

Fiber optic technology will provide local employers a faster, more reliable network to access the world. It provides you with a new option for cable TV, Internet access and phone service. To see a short video that explains how fiber works, click here.

If you received the letter, you don’t have to do anything. It’s simply information. You’re not required to take any action.

The city has been asked by citizens to provide more information about the expansion. The letter you received was sent to every residence in Wilson. We thank you for reading it and we hope it provides the information you need to know more about fiber optics.

Quick Q&A

Is my tax money paying for this expansion?
No. The network will be self supporting.

What does fiber do?
Fiber is a technology that carries large amounts of information very quickly. It uses small glass fibers to transmit information using light. Fiber allows you to subscribe to high-speed Internet service, cable TV and/or telephone service.

I already have a high-speed cable Internet connection. Is fiber faster than cable?
Yes. Because fiber carries information using pulses of light, it is much faster than old-fashioned copper cable. It is the gold standard of high-speed data transmission.

When can I sign up?
The expansion of the existing network will begin this Spring. Look for the first residential customers to come online this summer. The entire build out will take one to two years.

Am I obligated to choose Wilson’s fiber optic services?
No. Fiber is a superior product, but no one will be required to sign up. You choose your provider. The city just wants to give you another option.

What does fiber optic technology have to do with attracting and keeping jobs?
More and more, businesses are relying on the fast transmission of large amounts of data. As the world connects to the Internet, it will become more and more necessary for Wilson’s employers to have the same tools that businesses in the nation’s largest cities have.

To learn more about the network, visit http://wilsonfiber.wordpress.com.

Fiber works with any cable-ready TV set

1/19/2007

If the TV you’re considering is cable ready, YES it will work fine.
The TV you’re already watching will probably work fine, too.
High Definition TV’s will work beautifully on Wilson’s fiber.
Your new TV will sound great with Wilson’s fiber. Cable TV will be available once the fiber network is extended throughout our community. The image will be clear and sharp. Like the Internet coverage, the TV system will also be maintained locally.

This project really started in the early 90’s when City Council directed staff to research whether it was feasible to offer cable TV to citizens. Soon after that, the attention went to building Buckhorn Lake and expanding the city’s water supply. Buckhorn worked out and we have a great water supply now.

When the question came up again more recently, fiber had replaced coax cable. Of course the big benefit of this network is that it gives Wilson another tool to attract employers. Jobs are the most important element. But fiber gives every person in Wilson a chance to get true high-speed Internet, cable TV and phone service from a local provider.

Fiber will extend city-wide; WiFi downtown

1/19/2007

The city of Wilson will soon offer fiber optic service throughout the city, and free WiFi is in place downtown.

Fiber will be installed in your neighborhood. When you call to ask for it, we’ll send a representative to your house and to connect the fiber to a small box. Through that single connection you can access cable TV, Internet service and telephone service. From the outside, the wire looks like the same coax cable you’ve seen for decades. Inside, it’s completely different as you can see in this short video.

Cost of the city's Internet access, cable TV and phone have not been finalized yet, but they will be very competitive with similiar services currently provide by other companies. Look for more on prices as construction of the expanded network gets underway.

Our elected leaders created the WiFi district as an incentive for downtown business. The cost was about 70K. It’s mostly an outdoor application so it won’t be a replacement of their current Internet service provider.

A lot of people have asked exactly where WiFi will work best downtown. The best signal will be along Nash Street, roughly from the Library at Jackson St. to an area between the train station and Jackson Chapel Church at Pender Street.

Fiber will work on your current computer

1/19/2007

You do not need a special computer to use Wilson's high-speed Internet service. Recent computers are equipped to handle a high-speed connection.

While Wilson's connection will be much faster than what you can currently buy in most US cities, your computer should adapt easily. In fact, it may work more efficiently than it does now, especially if you subscribe to a dial-up or DSL service.

Blog in place to answer questions about Wilson fiber

1/19/2007

If you'd like to keep up with progress of Wilson's fiber expansion, you can lots of information (updated several times a week) at this link: http://www.wilsonfiber.wordpress.com.

Wilson's Public Affairs and Marketing Manager Brian Bowman updates the free site. While the link is not an official part of the city's website, http://www.wilsonnc.org, it contains information you may find valuable.

You can even post comments and questions.

Progress continues with fiber network

1/11/2007

The City of Wilson’s fiber optic network continues to take shape as private companies vie to help with the network’s construction.

Several companies from throughout the US are being considered. The goal is for the network to be available to every Wilson industry, business and home.

“I’m pleased with the number of companies who want to help build this system,” said Dathan Shows, Technical Service Director. “It will take some time, but we’re committed to making fiber available to everyone who wants it.”

The city’s facilities, including City Hall, the Operations Center and other buildings are already running on the fiber network. All data transmissions have run through the city’s system since March 2006.

“The network is working well,” said Shows. “City employees are happy with it and we’re excited about making it available to the public.”

The city’s fiber network will work with the average home’s TV set, computer and phone. No extra equipment will be necessary.