Business vs Residential Internet Service

When it comes to internet services, Cable Co-op offers a business package and a residential package. Some companies would like you to think that you are getting the same service but that is simply not the case, well, not the case with Cable Co-op.

When you subscribe to one of Cable Co-op’s business internet packages you gain an advantage over residential internet packages, and this is the reason that business internet has a higher price than residential internet services. The two main factors are tech support priority and data priority.

Tech support priorities for businesses allows us to prioritize your business needs, because you are running a business. Many businesses use the internet for phones, point of sales, meetings, and other business-related functions. If your internet is not working properly, you can lose sales, time, and money.
Data priority does not involve throttling of residential services, but rather business level data simply has priority over nonbusiness data. If for some reason a network becomes congested, business data will move to the top of the list to allow it to reach its destination, in both directions, faster than nonbusiness related data.

Anyone can sign up for business level data, even if you do not have a business but still want priority. If you are working from home, we highly recommend getting business level internet. If you are a serious online game player, business level data can give priority to your data, potentially improving lag due to congestion.

Cable Co-op
Your Community, Your Cable Company!

Fiber Enriched Network:
A different approach to improving system performance

This series will be presented in numerous “parts”. We hope to educate and answer questions that are relevant to our community and our members.

Part 1: Introduction

Cable Co-op is unique in many ways. Being a nonprofit, member-owned entity is one way we are different, but our community commitment and member-focus truly makes us stand out. Our dedication to providing our members with the best services possible at the lowest prices goes beyond what most service providers do. We have had Digital Equity programs in place before many providers even considered this approach.

In fact, we are so focused on our community and digital equity I was recently interviewed by a Harvard scholar on how providers can help provide digital equity to communities. We are truly unique and honored to be part of such a wonderful community.

This series will show how Cable Co-op plans on improving our network in a fiscally responsible manner that has the least disruptive approach but with the same end goals and results. Cable Co-op can provide the same level of service as the “big companies”, but with better support, less disruptions to neighborhoods, and in a fiscally conservative manner that benefits our members. In other words, we can increase speeds, improve reliability, and not charge you more to do so.

On Monday, December 19, 2022, Cable Co-op had one of their main lines providing TV and internet service severed on Reserve Avenue. Frontier Communications, using the contractor ADB to install their own service line, struck the Cable Co-op line around 12:15 pm and the boring head spun, pulled, and tore our line.

Cable Co-op technicians quickly responded in the frigid weather to make the repair and stayed on site until services were restored which was around 6:00 pm.

It is very likely that as Frontier Communications installs their new cabling in Oberlin, we will continue to experience similar issues. This is true for all utilities in town. As of January 5, 2023, residential electrical power lines have been hit twice, residential water pipes hit twice, residential gas pipes hit once, water main hit twice, and a telecommunication service line has been hit once.

Cable Co-op has always done our part in ensuring the locations of our lines are marked properly before work is started and whenever service is disrupted, we will do everything within our ability to restore service quickly and efficiently.