Thank you!
Your support is sustaining the future of local news in our communities.

Frontier fiber optic coming to Salisbury

SALISBURY — At a March 23 meeting of the Economic Development Committee, Allison M. Ellis of Frontier Communications presented an overview of the company’s plans for bringing fiber optic internet and voice service to Salisbury, including how the town will almost certainly be asked to contribute to the cost of providing fiber optic access to the entire town.

Ellis first spoke of Frontier’s recent bankruptcy, which concluded in May of 2021. She said the subsequent restructuring of the publicly-traded company eliminated some $10 billion in debt, brought in an entirely new board of directors and senior management team, which she described as the “most sophisticated we’ve ever had.”

Ellis said the company is building fiber optic infrastructure in Connecticut now, and added that committee members had probably noticed trucks out on major roads.

She described how the fiber optic lines reach customers, beginning in the company’s central office. The line goes to a “neighborhood hub,” then to a “fiber terminal,” and then to the customer’s home.

Ellis said one advantage of fiber optic systems is they use much less power than existing systems. “You just need power at either end for it to work.”

Another significant advantage is much higher capacity. Frontier is offering a $69.95 per month internet connection that provides 1 gigabit symmetrical service (meaning both upload and download speeds are the same).

There are less expensive options, including a 500 Mbps at $39.99 and 100 Mbps at $29.95.

By comparison, Xfinity’s Economy Plus internet service, used by this reporter on Main Street in Lakeville, offers up to 3 Mbps down and up to 2 Mbps up for $29.95 per month. At noon on April 2, it was running at .84 Mbps up and 3.38 Mbps down, as measured by Ookla.

Ellis said the capacity of the fiber optic lines are such that the service is “scalable into the future.”

Customers in the parts of town where Frontier is expanding will be able to sign up in June, she said.

The committee members asked about those areas that will not be covered by the Frontier buildout.

Ellis said that Frontier and towns in the state are discussing how much a town should kick in as a one-time contribution in order to get every address covered.

She noted that Frontier has been negotiating with Falls Village on this subject. (Falls Village’s Board of Finance held a public hearing on Frontier’s proposal Monday, April 3.)

Committee member Kitty Kiefer said she thought that as soon as residents in the more remote parts of Salisbury get a look at the fiber optic service their friends are getting, the demand will be there.

EDC member Tom Shachtman asked what Frontier’s time frame is for getting a decision on whether the town wants to chip in.

Ellis said ideally the subject would have been broached six months ago. She said she has reached out to First Selectman Curtis Rand.

Latest News

Sharon voters split opioid settlement funds between ambulance, regional programs

Sharon voters approved splitting $24,000 in opioid settlement funds at an Aug. 27 town meeting.

Alec Linden

SHARON — Sharon voters unanimously approved splitting $24,000 in opioid settlement funds between the town’s ambulance service and a regional fund supporting addiction prevention, harm reduction and mental health services.

The decision Thursday, Aug. 27, came two months after voters rejected an earlier Board of Finance-backed proposal, 27-11, at a June 18 town meeting. Residents had expressed concern about directing all the money, which must be used for opioid remediation, to a regional organization rather than supporting the town’s emergency medical service.

Keep ReadingShow less
At Peggy Mercury, prep meets punk in ‘Imaginary Concerts’
Greg Fricke and James Boehmer, co-owners of Peggy Mercury in Kent, recently launched their first fashion line, “Imaginary Concerts.”
Provided

Last month, James Boehmer and Greg Fricke of Peggy Mercury launched their first fashion line, “Imaginary Concerts,” wearable art sold exclusively at their store in the Kent Barns section of Kent, Connecticut.

The two fashion industry veterans opened Peggy Mercury more than two years ago, and a quick visit will tell you that people are finding what they’re looking for at the beauty and lifestyle store. But what they’re looking for is never standard.

Keep ReadingShow less

“Girlbomb” at 20

“Girlbomb” at 20
Photo by Jessica YurkoMillerton author Janice Erlbaum will celebrate the 20th anniversary of her memoir “Girlbomb” at Black Rabbit Dispensary on Sept. 5.
Photo by Jessica YurkoMillerton author Janice Erlbaum will celebrate the 20th anniversary of her memoir “Girlbomb” at Black Rabbit Dispensary on Sept. 5.
With memoir...the character only knows what the character knows.
Janice Erlbaum

In “Girlbomb: A Halfway Homeless Memoir,” published in 2006, author Janice Erlbaum wrote about the years after she left her family’s Brooklyn apartment at 15, moving through shelters, group homes, squats, clubs and the streets of 1980s New York while somehow continuing to attend high school. The book has sold more than 75,000 copies, stayed in print for two decades and continues to find new readers.

Now Erlbaum, 57, lives in Millerton and on Saturday, Sept. 5, at 7:30 p.m., she will celebrate the 20th anniversary of “Girlbomb” with a reading at Black Rabbit Dispensary. The event is open to the public and will be livestreamed on Instagram.

Keep ReadingShow less
google preferred source

Want more of our stories on Google? Click here to make us a Preferred Source.

Spencertown’s 21st Festival Of Books
Joshua Jelly-Schapiro, author of “Daylight Come: Harry Belafonte and the World He Made” is one of thefeatured authors at the Spencertown Academy Festival of Books on Saturday, Sept. 5.
Mirissa Neff

On Saturday, Sept. 5, the Spencertown Academy Arts Center in Spencertown, New York, will host its 21st annual Book Festival.

With over 20,000 gently used books, CDs, DVDs and vinyl donated by the community, it took volunteers 45 days — and an estimated 750 hours —to set the whole thing up. Most of that time was spent sorting through the vast troves of donations and organizing them by category.

Keep ReadingShow less
Paul Newman racing doc to screen in North Canaan on Sunday
“Winning: The Racing Life of Paul Newman,”will be screened Sunday, Sept. 6, at the Colonial Theatre in North Canaan.
Provided

On Sunday, Sept. 6, Lime Rock Park will host a screening of the documentary “Winning: The Racing Life of Paul Newman” at the Colonial Theatre in North Canaan at 7 p.m.

Newman was one of the most celebrated actors of the 20th century, known for films including “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof,” “Hud” and “Cool Hand Luke.” His 1969 film “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid” also began a decades-long friendship with co-star Robert Redford.

Keep ReadingShow less
Community to take center stage at Dive Barn

A scene from last year’s Dance Barn.

Steven Tayler

On Sunday, Sept. 6, PS21 in Chatham, New York, will host a celebration of community through dance at its second annual Dive Barn performance at the organization’s Dance Barn.

Dive Barn is the brainchild of dancer, teacher and choreographer Sayer Mansfield, who has dedicated her life to contemporary and experimental dance. She studied in the Department of Dance at NYU Tisch School of the Arts and at the Salzburg Experimental Academy of Dance. She’s performed with companies including Pilobolus, Compagnie Marie Chouinardand Mark Morris Dance Group. Her work has been featured in films including “Little Women,” “Maestro” and “Sproutland.” She has served on the faculties of Jacob’s Pillow, Phillips Academy Andover, as well as Harvard and Yale Universities.

Keep ReadingShow less
google preferred source

Want more of our stories on Google? Click here to make us a Preferred Source.

google preferred source

Want more of our stories on Google? Click here to make us a Preferred Source.