NORTH TONAWANDA, N.Y. (WKBW) — North Tonawanda is welcoming long-awaited Greenlight Networks — a new fiber optic internet provider.
This comes after over a year of planning and complaints from neighbors regarding a lack of internet provider options.
"We've made the switch over here at Gratwick Hose to all Greenlight fiber optic internet," Robert Brennan, president of the fire company, said. "We're making the switch at home, so we’re thrilled to death.”
Gratwick Hose has agreed to be the host location for Greenlight.
“The residents told me they were looking for a choice in internet providers, so when Greenlight approached us to house their servers, we jumped at the opportunity to play a role,” Brennan said.
So far, Greenlight has connected about 1,600 North Tonawanda homes. Patrick Farnung, Director of Fiber Design and Planning Services for Greenlight, said more than half of the city will be connected by the end of the year. That's about 7,000 homes.
However, he said the process can be slow.
“The largest hurdles are from a regulatory perspective,” Farnung said. “To maintain a safe space on those poles, we need to arrange for movement of not only electric facilities but also telephone and cable TV facilities.”
On Thursday, crews drove around the streets of the city to continue connecting homes to this new form of internet.
“People want options,” North Tonawanda Mayor Austin Tylec said. “They oftentimes feel like their bills just keep going up when it comes to certain providers, and this will create a little competition here.”
Currently, Spectrum is Greenlight’s main competitor. 7News reached out to Spectrum to see what they thought of the new rivalry.
“Spectrum’s track record is to serve the entire community, not just select neighbors. We’re also in the process of a significant network evolution upgrade.”
Either way, neighbors said they’re happy to have more options.
“Having the option gives everybody the choice,” Brennan said. “Let them make the choice of what they need and what they desire.”
