By DOUGLAS W. MOTLEY
Senior Writer

Many Crestline residents have reported seeing Frontier Communications crews in recent weeks actively stringing new cables from one utility pole to another throughout the Crestline area.
Hayley Hoefer, director of External Communications for the telecommunications giant, told The Alpine Mountaineer on Dec. 13, “We are really excited about our new Crestline service and we hope to expand our fiber-optic network into the surrounding communities sometime in the future.
“We began the build in September and hope to complete construction mid-2023,” Hoefer said, adding, “We expect to eventually deliver access to broadband, high-speed, reliable fiber-optic Internet connectivity to several thousand locations.”
Industry sources describe fiber-optic Internet as a data connection carried by a cable filled with glass fibers thinner than a strand of a human hair. Data travels through them as beams of light pulsed in a pattern at speeds about 20 times faster than regular cable because there’s no copper wire to heat up inside the cable and distort and weaken the signal.
While many other fiber-optic providers offer “fiber to the curb” service, which gets the fiber to the utility pole outside your house and then uses copper coaxial cable from the pole to your home, Frontier provides “fiber to the home” service, which is said to be the fastest, most reliable fiber-optic connection because the fibers come straight to your house.
As far as TV reception, Frontier provides a variety of content choices, including cable TV channels, on-demand streaming services and a mobile app.
When asked how much it will cost customers to convert to fiber, Hoefer explained, “For a Frontier customer in Crestline to switch to Frontier fiber-optic Internet, we have our 500/500 option for 12 months at $39.99 or our 1 GIG Internet service for 36 months at $74.99. These prices assume the customer enrolls in auto-pay. (See chart for more details.) Frontier also offers free and reduced-price Internet for all who qualify under the FCC’s Affordable Connectivity Program.”

PHOTOS:

A fiber-optic cable attached to a utility pole on Crest Forest Drive in Crestline includes additional cable in the event the homeowner desires “fiber to the home service.” (Photo by Douglas W. Motley)

Interior view of a fiber-optic cable. (Photo courtesy of Frontier Communications)

Available Frontier service plans.