Hawk Mountain, Pittsfield, Vermont

THIS WEBSITE IS THE NOT THE OFFICIAL HMOA WEBSITE

internet connection telephone pole at Hawk Mountain pittsfield VT Internet Service Provider
Information 

Internet Service Providers in Pittsfield VT

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Available Internet Service Provider Services at Hawk Mountain in Pittsfield Vermont

Finding an Internet service provider (ISP) in any small village in Vermont is no easy task and Hawk Mountain in Pittsfield, VT is no exception. Despite the overall lack of support from the State of Vermont to build a good communication and electronic infrastructure and the recent state legislation that prohibits small towns from using taxpayer funds to build telecom infrastructure for the general public, it appears that the Vermont State Government is always quick to say no to any new or good ideas. but very slow in providing their own ideas, (if ever).

We have listed the two main ISP providers in the area below, but many expect The State of Vermont to pass another ridiculous law against the Internet service provider industry to set Vermont back to the horse and cart days. What is it with the bureaucrats in Montpelier?

ecfiber provides internet service to the Hawk Community in Pittsfield VT

ECFiber

Website: http://www.ecfiber.net/

Phone: (802) 763-2262

Company Tagline:
Fast Reliable and Affordable Internet For East-Central Vermont

Lacking any support from the State of Vermont, this locally owned and operated, start-up Internet service provider paid construction crews to hang fiber optic cables along all the major routes in Vermont and fortunately the Pittsfield area is no exception. The Hawk Mountain community is now fully wired with fiber optic cable to every home providing lightning-fast internet connectivity to all the homes at a reasonable cost. This “Community Owned” organization has no stockholders and when their revenues exceed expenses, any excess not needed for further network construction goes back is to member towns and not to stockholders. This is a true Vermont success story that has succeeded against all the odds and they deserve all the support we can give them. The customer service is second-to-none and residents feel good about giving back to a community start-up.

The cost of the ECFiber service is the only challenge with the monthly bill coming in a bit steep at $75 including the rental of the fiber optic equipment. Residents and owners can put their service on a “seasonal disconnect” while they are away for a small monthly payment, Service speeds range from 17 Mbps to 700 Mbps and support response times to problems are exceptional. The price range of the internet service goes from $75.00 to $149.00 for their top end solution, but most residential customers opt for the lower priced solution. Customers also like not being locked into a multi-year contract, unlimited data with no caps and symmetrical speeds (where it is the same speed for download and upload). This service has many advantages over the Consolidated Communications DSL solution, but it is a higher price, but with no contracts, better support, faster speeds, more reliable connections and an overall more positive local approach, it is by far superior.

ECFiber is based in South Royalton, Vermont and the chances are that you know someone who works there.

This company was previously known as Verizon Communications, then it had an ownership and name change to Fairpoint Communications and finally settled on being part of Consolidated Communications. This company used to be the only ISP game in town, but now “Consolidated Communications” competes in the Hawk Mountain market by offering a low-price internet connectivity solution to Pittsfield residents. Consolidated has the advantage of existing phone wire/lines to most of the Hawk Mountain homes.  Consolidated Communications have a mixture of CAT5 and legacy CAT3 wiring already strung around the neighborhood telephone poles, which is essentially the old copper telephone wire, which they still use for this DSL service. This legacy solution has been around for a few years and is classified as a ” true legacy” DSL service, which means that it is a shared internet service and users may see slow down at busy times. Netflix may start getting pretty jittery on a Saturday night, with “House of Cards” often looking more like like “House of Falling Cards”. Consolidated Communications have had a few problems in the past with poor customer service, long hold times, scheduling backlogs, missed appointments, a legacy of lawsuits and few company name and ownership changes.

Consolidated Communications

Consolidated Communications

Website: https://www.consolidated.com/
Phone: 1.844.968.7224
Vermont Customers Webpage:  https://www.consolidated.com/residential/internet/vermont
Company Tagline: Connecting You Better

Company Overview

Consolidated Communications is a broadband communications provider serving consumers, businesses, and wireless and wireline carriers in rural and metro communities. It currently serves 23 states using an advanced fiber network spanning 37,000 fiber route miles, including more than 3,800 route miles in Vermont.

Consolidated offers a wide range of communications solutions, including high-speed Internet, data, phone, security, managed services, cloud services and wholesale, carrier solutions. In the past, the company serving Hawk Mountain was known as FairPoint Communications and, prior to that was known as Verizon Communications. In July 2017, Consolidated Communications acquired FairPoint’s Northern New England networks.

Service Plans
Consolidated offers residential Internet services plans from 3 Mbps to 100 Mbps that range in price from $28.99 to $72.99. Available features range from a basic plan for email and online surfing up to faster speeds that accommodate gaming and streaming music and videos, as well as speeds that can handle multiple devices with no buffering, and streaming TV and movies. All plans have no data cap. Modems can be leased or purchased from Consolidated or owned by the customer. Consolidated is available to all the homes in Hawk Mountain.

Types Of Connections
Consolidated can deliver Internet services using two types of connectivity. The first service includes 3 Mbps, 7 Mbps and 15 Mbps service. This service uses just one wiring pair (the existing phone wires). The second solution, which can provide much faster speeds, is a “bonded” solution where they use two pairs of phone wires, but in this case you cannot use your own modem, you must rent one for $8.99 a month or purchase a compatible modem from Consolidated for a one-time cost of $154.99. This faster service is available at various bandwidths, including 10 Mbps, 20 Mbps, 25 Mbps, and 40 Mbps speeds. Most Hawk Mountain residents qualify for minimum 25 Mbps speeds or above where facilities exist. Consolidated offers a 30-day money back guarantee for customers who’d like to try its services.

Distance From Central Office

Hawk Mountain is served by a Consolidated Communications central office located off of Route 100 and Internet speeds are based on the distance from your residence to that location and the quality of the wires, of which greatly vary. Many homes experience poor bandwidth, while others may achieve reasonable throughput. This service requires a 2 year contract, that cannot be put on a seasonal disconnect, which many homeowners may balk at.