Frequently Asked Questions about SpringsNet
Yellow Springs Municipal Broadband Pilot Project
Q. Why is the Village doing a pilot project?
The goals of the pilot project are to:
Q How was the area for the pilot project determined?
The area for the pilot project was selected to gain the maximum experience and information with both business and residential consumers of internet service at the minimum cost. All eligible locations are within 300’ of existing fiber optic cable, allowing us to connect up to 250 businesses and homes with minimal expense.
Q. How much is it going to cost?
Two tiers of internet service will be offered; Standard (300 Mbps) @ $45/month, and Premium (1 Gbps) @ $65/month. Final pricing will be determined after the pilot project, and could be higher or lower depending on the “take rate,” customer service offerings, and other knowledge gained from the pilot.
Q. Can I get bundled services like TV and telephone?
The pilot will only offer internet service, although additional service offerings may be included in a full rollout based on demand. However, there are multiple "existing" options for TV and telephone services over fiber optic internet.
Q. Is there an installation charge?
No, not for the Pilot Project. Nor will there be any long term contract. It is possible that an installation charge could become part of the price structure after the pilot, and a further possibility is that waving of the installation charge could be used to incentivize early sign up efforts.
Q. What if I am not satisfied with the service?
Participants may discontinue service at any time and for any reason. Since our goal is to provide superior service, we hope appropriate communication will lead to satisfactory resolution of any problems that arise. A “superior service at a lower cost” is our mantra.
Q. Exactly what will I get with this service?
Fiber optic cable will be run via aerial or underground to your building’s point of entrance. (Direct burial or underground cable may require an additional fee.) An Optical Network Terminal (ONT) will be installed in your home or business (the Premises). Final equipment selection will determine the exact offerings. What is certain is that the ONT, which will be provided, has one or more ethernet ports, to which you may connect your own Local Area Network equipment, just as you do now with a cable modem. WiFi may be included with the ONT for an additional $5 per month. The village of Yellow Springs will keep ownership of the ONT.
Based on the experience of the Pilot Project, options for additional services such as WiFi or telephone, which may require additional equipment, will be available, but pilot installations will bring just an internet connection (the ethernet port) at either 300 Mbps or 1 Gbps into your home or business. You determine what happens from that ethernet port on. It is analogous to electric power or water. The respective utility (in our case, the Village) is responsible for delivering the electricity or the water to a meter on your property, after which you assume responsibility for using it.
Q. I find all of these streaming choices very confusing. Can someone explain this to me in plain language?
Amazon, Roku, Apple & Google all sell devices that offer subscriptions to multiple streaming services. There are many options available.
Click here for more info.
Q. Why should the Village provide internet service? We already have choices for this?
This is really the central question. Indeed we do already have choices for internet service, and we will continue to have them. But let’s look more closely at those choices. The following chart summarizes the options residents of Yellow Springs currently have for internet service and their respective costs as of 4/3/2021:
Yellow Springs Municipal Broadband Pilot Project
Q. Why is the Village doing a pilot project?
The goals of the pilot project are to:
- Provide a proof of concept for a more secure, faster, less expensive, more reliable Internet service
- More accurately measure the demand for this service
- Assess needs for customer support
- Fine tune business processes for enrolling, billing, unenrolling, …
Q How was the area for the pilot project determined?
The area for the pilot project was selected to gain the maximum experience and information with both business and residential consumers of internet service at the minimum cost. All eligible locations are within 300’ of existing fiber optic cable, allowing us to connect up to 250 businesses and homes with minimal expense.
Q. How much is it going to cost?
Two tiers of internet service will be offered; Standard (300 Mbps) @ $45/month, and Premium (1 Gbps) @ $65/month. Final pricing will be determined after the pilot project, and could be higher or lower depending on the “take rate,” customer service offerings, and other knowledge gained from the pilot.
Q. Can I get bundled services like TV and telephone?
The pilot will only offer internet service, although additional service offerings may be included in a full rollout based on demand. However, there are multiple "existing" options for TV and telephone services over fiber optic internet.
Q. Is there an installation charge?
No, not for the Pilot Project. Nor will there be any long term contract. It is possible that an installation charge could become part of the price structure after the pilot, and a further possibility is that waving of the installation charge could be used to incentivize early sign up efforts.
Q. What if I am not satisfied with the service?
Participants may discontinue service at any time and for any reason. Since our goal is to provide superior service, we hope appropriate communication will lead to satisfactory resolution of any problems that arise. A “superior service at a lower cost” is our mantra.
Q. Exactly what will I get with this service?
Fiber optic cable will be run via aerial or underground to your building’s point of entrance. (Direct burial or underground cable may require an additional fee.) An Optical Network Terminal (ONT) will be installed in your home or business (the Premises). Final equipment selection will determine the exact offerings. What is certain is that the ONT, which will be provided, has one or more ethernet ports, to which you may connect your own Local Area Network equipment, just as you do now with a cable modem. WiFi may be included with the ONT for an additional $5 per month. The village of Yellow Springs will keep ownership of the ONT.
Based on the experience of the Pilot Project, options for additional services such as WiFi or telephone, which may require additional equipment, will be available, but pilot installations will bring just an internet connection (the ethernet port) at either 300 Mbps or 1 Gbps into your home or business. You determine what happens from that ethernet port on. It is analogous to electric power or water. The respective utility (in our case, the Village) is responsible for delivering the electricity or the water to a meter on your property, after which you assume responsibility for using it.
Q. I find all of these streaming choices very confusing. Can someone explain this to me in plain language?
Amazon, Roku, Apple & Google all sell devices that offer subscriptions to multiple streaming services. There are many options available.
Click here for more info.
Q. Why should the Village provide internet service? We already have choices for this?
This is really the central question. Indeed we do already have choices for internet service, and we will continue to have them. But let’s look more closely at those choices. The following chart summarizes the options residents of Yellow Springs currently have for internet service and their respective costs as of 4/3/2021:
All of these options are built upon technology that predates the internet. None of them is built on a pure end to end fiber optic network. Because fiber optic cable transmits data at the speed of light, it’s capacity is much greater than these older technologies. As a result, the Village can offer service at the following rates:
Simply put, fiber optic technology offers enormous improvements in speed, reliability, and cost that other technologies can’t match. As the Covid-19 pandemic has made painfully clear, internet access is no longer a luxury, it is a necessity in the 21st Century. We should approach it accordingly.
Q. Who do I call for technical support when things don’t work?
A phone number for support will be provided. Optional WiFi router installation and inside wiring service, as well as other custom services will be available at an additional cost.
Q. You keep saying this is a “superior product at a lower cost.” What makes it a superior product?
Fiber optic networks move data as pulses of light. It contains no metal, does not use electric current, and emits no radiation. There are fewer points of failure, and it is more environmentally friendly. Fiber optic technology is upgraded by replacing the electronic components at each end. These are subject to Moore’s law, and therefore the cost of fiber optic networks is on a downward trajectory while the performance improves. Fiber optic networks are among the most “future proof” forms of infrastructure.
Q. Is there an introductory rate?
No. As a not for profit enterprise, our business plan has always called for simple, straightforward pricing with no gimmicks.
Q. What do you mean by Up/Down speed?
Legacy technology (copper wires and coaxial cable) impose severe limitations on how much data can be moved at a time. Consequently, Internet Service Providers who use these technologies separate data coming to your device (downloading) from data coming from your device (uploading). Since most of the traffic on the internet is downloading, they typically allocate about ten times as much bandwidth for downloading as they do for uploading. It is therefore normal to find commercial internet speeds separated into Download and Upload, with maximum Download speeds about 10X the upload speed. Fiber optic networks do not suffer from these limitations, so Upload and Download speeds are the same, or symmetrical.
Q. When can other portions of the Village get connected?
Based on the experience gained from the pilot project, we intend to build out the rest of the Village within a year from the end of the pilot.
Q. Why would I need this when I can just use 5G?
Many people have concerns about the unknown (EMF) effects of 5G as well as the unsightliness of excessive “small cell” tower installations. Also 5G does not penetrate into buildings very well unless the building is very close to a “small Cell” tower.
Q. Does this include a router and wifi?
Yes. The pilot project will include an ONT/Router and optional WiFi 5 for those who wish a managed installation. (See Here) There will be extra cost options where homes & businesses need more extensive interior cabling.
Q. How does the speed of fiber optic broadband compare to what I currently have?
The following chart illustrates the relative speed of the available internet service offerings in Yellow Springs
Q. Who do I call for technical support when things don’t work?
A phone number for support will be provided. Optional WiFi router installation and inside wiring service, as well as other custom services will be available at an additional cost.
Q. You keep saying this is a “superior product at a lower cost.” What makes it a superior product?
Fiber optic networks move data as pulses of light. It contains no metal, does not use electric current, and emits no radiation. There are fewer points of failure, and it is more environmentally friendly. Fiber optic technology is upgraded by replacing the electronic components at each end. These are subject to Moore’s law, and therefore the cost of fiber optic networks is on a downward trajectory while the performance improves. Fiber optic networks are among the most “future proof” forms of infrastructure.
Q. Is there an introductory rate?
No. As a not for profit enterprise, our business plan has always called for simple, straightforward pricing with no gimmicks.
Q. What do you mean by Up/Down speed?
Legacy technology (copper wires and coaxial cable) impose severe limitations on how much data can be moved at a time. Consequently, Internet Service Providers who use these technologies separate data coming to your device (downloading) from data coming from your device (uploading). Since most of the traffic on the internet is downloading, they typically allocate about ten times as much bandwidth for downloading as they do for uploading. It is therefore normal to find commercial internet speeds separated into Download and Upload, with maximum Download speeds about 10X the upload speed. Fiber optic networks do not suffer from these limitations, so Upload and Download speeds are the same, or symmetrical.
Q. When can other portions of the Village get connected?
Based on the experience gained from the pilot project, we intend to build out the rest of the Village within a year from the end of the pilot.
Q. Why would I need this when I can just use 5G?
Many people have concerns about the unknown (EMF) effects of 5G as well as the unsightliness of excessive “small cell” tower installations. Also 5G does not penetrate into buildings very well unless the building is very close to a “small Cell” tower.
Q. Does this include a router and wifi?
Yes. The pilot project will include an ONT/Router and optional WiFi 5 for those who wish a managed installation. (See Here) There will be extra cost options where homes & businesses need more extensive interior cabling.
Q. How does the speed of fiber optic broadband compare to what I currently have?
The following chart illustrates the relative speed of the available internet service offerings in Yellow Springs
Importantly, fiber has almost unlimited potential for future speed upgrades, and our business plan anticipates natural speed increases without additional costs as electronics technology evolves.
Q. Is there any help available for low income residents?
While not part of the pilot project, a central element of the business plan for this network has always been the inclusion of a subsidized rate for low income residents.
Q. I don’t live in the Village. Is this available in Miami Township?
Q. This will initially be available only within the village limits of Yellow Springs but future expansion of the network is possible especially if federal government funding is obtained.
Q. Will the cost be the same for the pilot project as it will when full implementation happens?
Most likely but a final decision has not been made.
V1.3 Jan 20, 2022
Q. Is there any help available for low income residents?
While not part of the pilot project, a central element of the business plan for this network has always been the inclusion of a subsidized rate for low income residents.
Q. I don’t live in the Village. Is this available in Miami Township?
Q. This will initially be available only within the village limits of Yellow Springs but future expansion of the network is possible especially if federal government funding is obtained.
Q. Will the cost be the same for the pilot project as it will when full implementation happens?
Most likely but a final decision has not been made.
V1.3 Jan 20, 2022