Merger translates to another ISP choice

SCOTT TRUXELL/independent editor

A corporate merger means Van Wert residents will have another choice when choosing an internet service provider.

During Monday’s meeting of Van Wert City Council, Safety-Service Director Jay Fleming informed council members that CenturyLink and Brightspeed have merged.

“They have announced to me that they are going to re-wire the entire city in fiber (optics),” Fleming said. “It’s going to begin in June and July and they hope to have it complete in three months. What that’s going to mean is all the fiber is going to be on the poles if you make application for their service, like you might do with Spectrum now.”

“What I’m excited about is it’s competition, so you’ll be able to make that connection with Brightspeed if you apply for their service, then they’ll bring true fiber right to door,” he added. “Spectrum has pretty good speeds but they don’t necessarily have true fiber to the home.”

Brightspeed has set aside $2 billion to bring fiber optic internet to at least three million customers across 20 states over the next four years.