Refusing to “accept the status quo,” a startup, known as Underline, has begun construction of an open access fiber network in its first market — Colorado Springs, CO. Underline is partnering with the city of Colorado Springs, the Chamber of Commerce, the National Cybersecurity Center, and local business and education leaders.
“This launch marks an important milestone in our work to connect American communities with the open access fiber networks they need to thrive,” Eva Arevuo, Head of Marketing & Communications, said. The company intends to build multi-purpose, open access fiber networks to foster competition in wireline communications, she said.
“We’re building the first true open access network in the United States, bringing ultra-fast and affordable internet connections up to 10 Gigabit connections for residential customers, and up to 100 Gigabit for enterprise customers,” Arevuo said. “Residents and businesses alike will benefit from choice and value, served directly to them on the competitive Underline Marketplace.”
While the national conversation has centered around unserved and underserved Americans, Underline highlights the fact that more than 83 million Americans have only one provider when it comes to broadband providers. “Our open access model breaks the big telecom monopoly and gives control back to consumers who can select their services from a range of options on the Underline Marketplace,” Arevuo said.
Underline also plans to address the inequities that lead to the disparate internet access, known as the digital divide. In Colorado Springs, for example, almost 10 percent of households have no internet access at home at all, according to Arevuo. In households earning less than $35,000 a year, 22 percent have no access. Underline intends to provide the same ultra-fast internet connection, 500/500Mbps, to households in-need at a reduced price as it does in the affluent neighborhoods.
“We come to our projects with a distinct social purpose: to close the opportunity divide and ensure connectivity for all households,” Arevuo said. “The days when the poorest households get substandard service or none at all are over. With our open access fiber network and Opportunity Program, access to the internet is fast, affordable, and fair.”
By J. Sharpe Smith Inside Towers Technology Editor
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