Southwest members experience the speed and reliability of fiber
Since the spring of 2020, Southwest Tennessee Electric Membership Corporation and Aeneas Communications have been hard at work deploying hundreds of miles of fiber optic line. We are deploying communication shelters, integrating computer and network systems and so much more, all in preparation to provide STEMC’s consumer-members with the fastest, most reliable and most affordable broadband connection available in the U.S. today. Rural members who once had little to no broadband available and those who never had a choice of providers will soon be able to subscribe to broadband services that before were only thought to be available in large metropolitan areas.
Although the fiber broadband project is still in the first phase of a planned five-phase project, Aeneas powered by STEMC has begun to connect homes with gigabit fiber service. We reached out to some of our new internet customers to get their reactions to the fiber project and to their new service.
“I was incredibly excited!” exclaimed Cary B., remembering when he heard the news that he was one of the first people to be able to subscribe to the new gigabit fiber broadband from Aeneas powered by STEMC.
Smiling customers of Aeneas powered by STEMC share their excitement to be connected to gigabit fiber internet service that is reliable and affordable. Now more than ever before, the need for this service is evident with so many people working from home and school children participating in online classes.
“I’m really happy,” he said about the quality of the service. “It’s stable service, and we don’t have dropped service anymore.”
Aeneas was curious to hear how the new gigabit speed and reliability might have possibly changed the way Cary used the internet. “We can actually watch movies!” he said. “We can stream, no problem. Of course, my son is a gamer, and he doesn’t have any lagging issues any longer. Everything is faster and works much better.”
Bringing broadband services to those who had little to no access to the internet is a top priority for Aeneas and STEMC, and that’ll impact Cary’s parents, who live in a more rural area. “My parents know you guys are planning to bring service to their area later in the project,” he said. “That would mean a lot to them just due to their health. They’re not able to get out. They could do more online. For people in that situation, it’s tremendous what you guys are doing!”
“We were incredibly excited,” said Sherry V., another STEMC member, describing her new fiber broadband service. “Knowing that we were going to get a choice was pretty exciting.”
“It was super easy!” she said of the installation. “They came in and installed everything.”
With the continued struggles of dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic, many children are participating in distance learning at home. This requires a strong and stable internet connection. This type of connection was very important to Sherry.
“My kids have been doing online school,” she said. “They haven’t had an issue either, so the stability has been really nice.”
In a follow-up conversation after installation, she said the quality of service has been “amazing” and then added, “No complaints here!”
Aeneas and STEMC hope to continue bringing more excitement and smiles to West Tennessee. If you would like to learn more about this project, visit aeneas.com/stemc. To see if service is available to you, visit
fiber.aeneas.com
.
