MORGANTOWN, PA — Nearly 2,200 homes, businesses and schools in Berks, Chester and Lancaster counties are now eligible for fiber broadband, high-speed internet provider Kinetic and government officials said Wednesday.
“I applaud Kinetic’s vision and success in bringing its customers the future of broadband internet services,” state Rep. Mark Gillen, R-Birdsboro, said in a statement read at an event at the Caernarvon Township Municipal Building in Morgantown announcing the service.
Kinetic broadband customers “will have their fiber optic connections linked directly from their place of residence to the internet infrastructure, which avoids bottlenecks that reduce upload speeds, download speeds and general reliability,” Gillen said. “I am excited that Kinetic’s customers will have the opportunity to experience the ultimate in home internet service right here in Berks County.”
Sen. Scott Martin, R- Martic Township, added in a statement: “Access to broadband is an important quality-of-life issue, which is why it has been a priority for Senate Republicans for several years. I applaud the ongoing work to expand this service to more local communities.”
Kinetic’s leveraging of fiber broadband in the Twin Valley School District is critical for student education, district Superintendent Patrick Winters said.
“We commend Kinetic for completing these area upgrades and understanding the importance of ensuring our students and families have efficient and consistent access to the internet,” he said. “With these improvements and the affordable products offered to our families, there is continued opportunity for learning for all Twin Valley students in school, at home and throughout our community.”
About 900 customers in Berks County, 750 in Chester County and 550 in Lancaster County are now eligible for fiber. That total of nearly 2,200 customers will likely increase to more than 3,100 by this time next year, Kinetic estimates.
Pennsylvania Telephone Association President Steve Samara said Kinetic showed innovative leadership by connecting families, enterprises and communities in the region through fiber broadband.
“Kinetic’s commitment of time, resources and money in bringing world-class broadband service to this region and to much of its service territory is terrific news for both their rural customers and those to whom they connect,” he said.
Kinetic’s ultrafast fiber-optic broadband lets users upload and download at up to 1 gigabit a second, or 1,000 megabits a second, providing what is known as “next-generation access.”
“We’re thrilled to bring our fastest speeds and our best internet experience to more homes, businesses and schools here in Berks, Chester and Lancaster counties,” Kinetic state operations President Susan Schraibman said at the announcement. “The energy and momentum we have in the marketplace are unmistakable, and we’re proud we’re able to bring our ultrafast fiber connectivity to more customers and the community every single day. Our mission is to provide exceptional internet to all our customers.”
The Southeastern Pennsylvania fiber project is part of a $2 billion multiyear capital investment strategy to dramatically expand gigabit internet service across Kinetic’s 18-state footprint.
Customers may visit GoKinetic.com to find out if they are eligible for a speed upgrade and how Kinetic can help meet their home or business needs. They may also visit the Kinetic Connection Center retail store at 130 East Main St. in Ephrata or call the store at 717-738-7100.
The superfast, reliable fiber connections in Berks, Chester and Lancaster counties empower residential customers to gig speeds to navigate the internet safely from home with no lag times while they work, participate in virtual classrooms or stream entertainment services. Businesses from small to enterprise can take advantage of the fiber-backed network to deploy solutions that make their companies more efficient and profitable such as OfficeSuite UC® and SD-WAN.
To learn more, visit GoKinetic.com.
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