LoTimes Article on FIOS

[4thand26]

Anyone else catch this? $83 for FIOS. $150 for OB.

04/24/2007
In the east, technology is a way of life
By: Elizabeth Coe


Times Mirror Photo/Elizabeth Dodd Jason Cook, of Brambleton, an information technology operations manager for Maxjet Airways, works from his home April 19 after staying up until 6 a.m. working on a problem at work. 'I get more done at home,' said Cook. 'The Internet is fast, and I have less distractions.'
From the outside, Jason Cook's town home looks like many in communities across eastern Loudoun.

On the inside, though, his house is hardwired to be different.

That's because Cook and his wife, Becca, live in Brambleton, a technologically advanced community fitted with Verizon FiOS -- a cutting-edge fiber optic technology that provides high-speed Internet access, crisp high definition television, and video and voice services.
Each of the 1,800 homes in Brambleton has the capability to support multiple computers and televisions at the same time through a single connection.

"Having our house prewired for Internet connectivity in all the rooms is great," Cook said. "We're so happy."

Brambleton's connectivity also allows Cook, an information technology manager for MAXjet Airways, to work from home whenever he needs.

"The Internet speed we have with Verizon FiOS is great," he said. "It's twice as fast as the average cable modem."

Cook said he usually gets speeds of 15 megabits per second for downloads and 2 mbps for uploads. This allows him to send large files through e-mail and download and upload quickly, he said.

And the cable television provides about 180 clear channels, said Keith Brannock, head of technology services for Brambleton.

All of this for $83 per month, which is less than most packages, he said.

"We've given our homeowners the opportunity to work from home or have a home business," Brannock said. "We have people that sell all kinds of things and people studying for their master's online. In the past, they wouldn't have been able to because of the Internet speeds."

But perhaps the most important feature for many Internet-savvy residents of neighborhoods like Brambleton is the Intranet, an Internet community created to allow homeowners to connect with each other.

"The idea was that people would have access to the site and get to know their neighbors, find families with kids and use it to organize events," said Kim Adams, marketing director for Brambleton. "Right now in light of what happened at Virginia Tech, alumni are using it to communicate and as a support system."

Every resident of Brambleton has access to the Intranet. It's a place for groups from dog lovers to book clubs, and it is somewhere residents can go for HOA information, such as meeting documents and newsletters, she said.

Merchants from Brambleton Town Center also post messages to residents and coupons on the site.

"I think it's the future for sure," Adams said. "With this technology, once you have it and you experience it, you can't go anywhere else. Our buyers tell us the technology is what's kept them here."

For Jason Jensen, a resident of Brambleton since 2003, the technology was the main reason he chose to move into the community.

"The idea of having fiber put right into my basement was a big plus for me," he said. "I absolutely love it. It's spoiled me to the point where it would be hard for me to move to a community that didn't offer it."

Jensen said the "Brambletonian" is another reason he loves living in the community.

"It's almost like a little happy hour online," he said. "It's a resident-sponsored message board where we can get together to sit back and chat."

Cook, who runs the Brambletonian site, said it has about 1,200 users and gets about 1,000 posts per day.

It's also a way for Brambleton residents to meet and become friends.

"In planned communities, hardly anybody seems to know each other, but here we have friends over a lot," Cook said. "I've never seem anything like this."

Other communities, especially newer ones, in eastern Loudoun offer similar technology resources to their residents.

In Lansdowne, a community of more than 2,100 homes that opened in 2003, OpenBand provides Internet, television and telephone services to all residents for about $140 a month, although with other taxes and fees, that price comes to a little more than $150 per month.

Internet is provided at up to 100 megabits per second.

"The Internet is very fast," said Tara Flores, communications manager for Lansdowne.

Lansdowne's Web site also gives homeowners a resource for discussion, HOA information, classifieds, and a lost and found.

"I use the Web site for calendar information, the community directory, discussion groups and to post the minutes from committee meetings," said Deborah Brooks, a member of the technology committee who has lived in Lansdowne for two years. "I wanted to live in a neighborhood that offered fiber optics to the home. I am a telecommuter and connect to my office every day."

The community is also working on creating Channel 16, a community-wide station for all homes that would keep residents informed and interconnected in a new way.

Brooks said the TV station will include things like local school closings, videos of local activities like high school sports, community events and HOA meetings, and the station will also sell advertising for local businesses and politicians.