Sonic expanding high-speed Internet in East Bay
Internet service provider Sonic is expanding its highest-speed Internet service in the East Bay.
The Santa Rosa company, which is trying to lure customers away from giants like AT&T and Comcast, said Monday that it is bringing its gigabit fiber service to Berkeley and Albany, and parts of Oakland, El Cerrito and Kensington.
Sonic has added service in San Francisco this year in the Mission, Noe Valley, Castro, Dolores Heights, Glen Park, Potrero Hill and Sunnyside neighborhoods. It also serves Brentwood and Sebastopol. The latest expansion is the company’s biggest of its kind, CEO Dane Jasper said.
Gigabit Internet speed is about 1,000 megabits per second, roughly equivalent to downloading an HD movie in seven seconds. Sonic serves about 100 cities across California.
In announcing Sonic’s expansion, Jasper also commented on net neutrality, for which he has been an outspoken advocate, even as Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai has proposed replacing current net neutrality regulations in favor of “light-touch marketbased” rules.
“As deregulation continues to threaten the competitive marketplace for (Internet service providers), it’s more important than ever for customers to have choices when selecting an Internet provider,” Jasper said in a statement.