DRYDEN – Dryden Fiber has teamed up with a new company in its quest to provide affordable high-speed internet service across Dryden and Caroline, following some complaints surrounding the previous company.
VantagePoint Solutions has installed approximately 10,000 total miles of cable for Internet service in more than 40 U.S. states, said David Makar, Dryden Fiber’s executive director. Vantage Point also has a significantly larger staff than its predecessor, Hunt EAS of Horseheads, a change that Dryden’s Broadband Committee says likely will mean greater speed for installation in Dryden.
Dryden Fiber replaced Hunt EAS with Vantage Point – an engineering firm with national-level experience – at mid-month, Makar said.
Committee members had not publicly cited many specific concerns about Hunt’s performance, but there had been some grousing. One example: Maps of work displayed on Dryden Fiber’s website weren’t always complete or up-to-date. As of Friday afternoon, the page of the Dryden Fiber website listing its Dryden service areas had not been updated since nearly three weeks ago.
Makar said he’d asked Hunt in January for a written plan so the committee could tell residents when service would be available in their neighborhoods. Some addresses had been listed as in the “yellow zone” – meaning installations are “in-progress,” since September 2023.
“By the end of January,” he told the committee Friday, “we had no plan.”
Makar and Dryden Fiber have a busy week planned for the end of February, with virtually a solid week of meetings. That includes a visit from Vantage Point representatives.
Also this week, Dryden Fiber’s income grew to nearly $14,000 per month; a year ago, it was $2,000 per month, according to a graphic Makar showed town board members Thursday night.
The number of households signing up to receive Dryden Fiber service continues to grow. In January alone, Dryden Fiber had 153 new requests for service. The service was currently available to 1,673 parcels in Dryden, or 28.6% of properties in the town.
Another interesting number, according to Makar: 474 addresses in Dryden are classified as “underserved” or “unserved” by internet providers.
