CONNECTING A COMMUNITY
Fitchburg Fiber wants to bring quality, affordable internet to city
Once seen as a luxury or commodity, internet access has quickly become a necessity for modern living, one that has only increased in importance as more and more people work or learn from home. And yet, many today are left without such access, their connection outdated and far too slow or the service fromtheir local internet service provider too costly.
Many in the city find themselves amid similar circumstances. But, now, one group is doing everything it can to make sure those that need internet access can obtain it and do so affordably.
Fitchburg Fiber, a relatively new ISP headed by residents Tristan Taylor, Andrew DeChristopher and Nick Madden, is ready to provide the city with secure, high- speed internet access for the paltry sum of just $40 per month. Taylor, co-founder and CEO, said everyone at Fitchburg Fiber is committed to the community and he expects their service to play a significant role in the “revitalization” of the city.
“We’re investing a lot of money and unpaid time to build something that I’m absolutely convinced will be a big part of Fitchburg’s future growth,” Taylor said. “Our purpose here is to build a high- quality internet network and provide affordable service to as many people as we can — the community is the heart behind our mission.”
“We’re still very much in the early stages, but what we’re doing is impactful and, as more and more people learn about us, we hope to bring some serious change to the city,” he said.
Founded in December 2020, Taylor said Fitchburg Fiber was born out of his and Dechristopher’s frustrations with larger ISPS and local internet access, a lack of which “made blood boil.”
The fact that other residents shared similar stories pushed them to act.
“You know how it works, you sign a contract at a specific rate and, over time, they raise and
raise and raise it,” Taylor said. “We wanted to get away from that model and provide others in the area with options.”
“Back when internet bandwidth was scarce, the typical pricing you see out there sort of made sense. But that just isn’t the case anymore,” he said.
Between COVID-19 and other pandemic-related delays, it took some time to get started. There was also the matter of startup cost: the price to dig up a paved street or sidewalk and deploy underground fiber around the city would have made the venture unfeasible.
Newer technology presented them with a solution, however: rather than physical cable, the Fitchburg Fiber team opted for wireless distribution — internet access served through point-to-point wireless transmitters. According to Taylor, their wireless network can deliver service that is “functionally the same” when compared to a physical cable connection for a fraction of the cost.
The technology made it possible for the group to move forward — and they did so out of their own pocket.
“Suddenly, this wasn’t something that we had to go and ask the bank to lend us a few million dollars for or apply for grant funding, it was something we could self-fund,” he said. “And, realizing the difference we could make, we took our savings and just dove in.”
Each transmitter, described as a “distribution node,” can be mounted to a building and, when able to “bridge” or communicate with another node in the network through a wireless, line-of-sight connection, can provide internet access to an area of about “500 or 600 feet,” according to Taylor.
If a node is blocked by a large building or other obstruction, a separate transmitter could be installed elsewhere to serve as an intermediary point between the established network and the obstructed node in order to re-establish a connection.
Work truly began for the trio midway through 2021 as Taylor, Dechristopher and Madden started to build up their operating infrastructure. A year later, in April 2022, they connected their first customers to the network and have not looked back.
“It was a bit slow at first, but we’ve had more and more people sign up,” Taylor said. “Eventually we’ll reach a point where we have enough customers that we can fund expansions into other neighborhoods.”
While Fitchburg Fiber’s current coverage is limited to the downtown area — stretches of Main Street and Boulder Drive — Taylor said the team had identified “several ideal buildings” as potential points to expand the network and avoid any connection issues.
He also made it clear that the venture was “not about profit” and said Fitchburg Fiber’s goal was to extend access “to every home and business in Fitchburg.” While that may prove “ambitious” in the short term, Taylor said the team’s dedication and commitment to the city would continue to push them toward that goal.
“If we can make a living off of this someday, that would be wonderful, but that’s not what this is about,” he said. “It’s important to us that people are able to get the quality of service they need, deserve and can afford — I don’t think you’ll find a group that’s less profit-motivated.”
“I’m not really sure how to articulate it, but we’re all just super excited about the future,” he said.
As he thanked those that have been early to adopt and or support Fitchburg Fiber, particularly Intown Fitchburg and the Fitchburg Redevelopment Authority, Taylor described the enterprise as the “most gratifying thing” he has ever been a part of and said the company “wouldn’t be here” without the so far ardent support of the Fitchburg community.
“We wouldn’t be anywhere without community buy-in,” he said. “People have to be willing to take a shot on us — and, to those that have taken that chance, we can’t thank you enough.”
“We literally wouldn’t be here without you — our customers, the community make us who we are,” he said.
To prospective customers and those on the fence, he also stressed that those at Fitchburg Fiber are “no BS” kind of people. “The whole point of what we do is to provide you with quality service for an affordable price, no contract, no hidden anything — and, if and when you’re ready to switch, we’ll be here for you,” he said.
“To the more skeptical customers, just keep an eye out. Our reputation is growing, we’re committed to the people we serve, to the Fitchburg community and we’re looking forward to being a real part of that community.”
For more information, those interested in Fitchburg Fiber can visit their website at fbfiber.net or contact the company at 978696-8699.