Page 18 - New England Condominium March 2019

18 NEW ENGLAND CONDOMINIUM
- MARCH 2019
NEWENGLANDCONDO.COM
Telecom for Your
Community
Evaluating Available Options
BY MIKE ODENTHAL
TRENDS
A
s more and more of our daily lives be-
come more intertwined with online nity wants and needs internet, and that if they
entertainment and services, internet band together and go all-in with a specific
access has become a home utility along with provider, they can get a reduced rate. Here at
electricity and running water. Boards can take netBlazr, if you want to do a bulk deal, we'd
for granted that every resident in their build-
ing or community association wants reliable, if you have 100 units, instead of paying $6,000,
fast internet service, and while many commu-
nities leave the selection of service providers different from some of the major telecoms, as
to individual owners, others – especially those we don't believe in contracts. The idea for us
with shared community spaces in which peo-
ple expect wireless access – have to decide as should be able to leave.”
a board which available provider is right for
their association.
New England Condominium
spoke with and I'm not even sure whether New York
representatives of several major telecom pro-
viders to discuss what's currently available for they're all about it there. I think you're going
associations – as well as with a property man-
agement professional to talk about his client do have competition – which is key in all of
communities' dealings with these increasingly this – because you can find really good rates.
essential service providers.
Perry Wasserbauer, Market Develop-
ment Manager at netBlazr, a Boston-based
broadband provider
New England Condominium: What can
you tell us about bulk package deals for com-
munity associations and multifamily proper-
ties?
PW: “A bulk deal takes the idea that we
all need internet, whether that includes cable
or (more rarely) phone... but you take the the demographics. Even older demos have
basic premise that everyone in the commu-
typically reduce our rate by 45-50 percent. So
you'd probably pay around $3,500. And we're
is that if you're unhappy with our service, you
Are bulk packages catching on?
“Boston isn't necessarily a bulk market,
is. But Chicago is definitely a bulk market;
to see this a lot more in urban areas where you
It can be frustrating if you're an association
outside of a city where you have limited op-
tions. You might be able to find providers in
the suburbs who will do a multifamily bulk
build-out or something of that nature, and
those are typically more local independent
companies – but it's touch and go.”
What's the market like for cable service
these days?
“It's less of a utility, but it depends on
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