As many businesses and schools have moved to work or learn from home models due to the Coronavirus outbreak our customers and potential customers have asked how we’re working to better meet your needs.
In response to COVID-19 Phoenix Internet has made higher upload speeds available to our customers to help with VOiP, VPN, Conferencing, Streaming and uploading large projects. This option is available on our 15Mbps and 25Mbps speeds, where available. While our standard residential service offers 2Mbps upload, the new options more than double that to 5Mbps at only $15 more per month.
- 15x5Mbps for $75/Month
- 25x5Mbps for $85/Month
Some customers have referred to the cable company’s responses to Covid-19 among others so we will use them as our prime example of how many other companies are responding to this crisis with subsidized programs.
At the start of this crisis we did a lot of research into how our competitors and others are providing for their customers and found with almost complete uniformity that they have worked with existing government subsidized programs to do so. In particular the program referred to most often is called Connect2Compete.
We’ve provided some links below for you to learn more about their offer which is dependent on the following:
“To Qualify: Families with K-12 children who are eligible for the National School Lunch Program, SNAP, and/or TANF; who receive Tenant-Based Vouchers, Project-Based Vouchers or Section 8 Project-Based Rental Assistance (PBRA); and/or who live in Public Housing”
This is a pre-existing federally subsidized service which Cable companies have offered in conjunction with HUD-FHA since 2016. This is not a new initiative.
https://www2.ntia.doc.gov/files/hud_and_c2c_partnership_fact_sheet_08_15.pdf
Phoenix Internet does not receive any subsidy for our services from your local, state or federal governments; our company is privately-owned and capitalized. As a result the only way we can provide additional services is to create new products and services and charge appropriately for them.
Our team asked the following questions while planning our response:
1.) Could our network withstand the additional load of offering a higher upload speed?
We found that about 70% of it could, with some upgrades in key areas, some of which were already planned and moved up, others which were quickly designed and executed, some of which are still in progress.
2.) How much of those costs could be absorbed by Phoenix Internet without impeding our ability to function? -And- How much of that cost could we reasonably ask our customers to take on for what is a better, upgraded service?
We found that we could make these changes and ONLY increase our monthly billing by $15 per month and ensure that rate wouldn’t increase automatically at the end of the term.
3.) With regards to late fees, Early Termination Fees & Termination for non-payment: We are considering each customer & business’ needs on a case-by-case basis at a management level as we always have, and are working with them to weather this struggle.
Here are a few other examples of subsidized services with similar restrictions and qualifications:
https://www.highspeedinternet.com/resources/internet-guide-during-coronavirus-outbreak
As you can see the situation is a bit more complex than might be read at first glance.
In summary:
- Through careful management and planning Phoenix Internet has been able to keep our doors open, our network running with higher upload capacity and our customers online without resorting to layoffs or pay-reduction as many other local companies have been forced to. We are providing over-time to our staff to allow them to support our customers increased needs while supporting their families and being a net positive for the local economy.
- We feel that offering the option of a higher upload speed at a low additional monthly cost is the best way we can serve our customers and fellow Arizonans through enhancing our network to meet their greater needs.
- We are an Arizona Internet Service Provider, founded and headquartered in Phoenix and are proud to serve our community to the very best of our ability in this time of need.
Our greatest responsibility is to our customers who depend on our network to stay connected and to our employees who depend on us for their livelihood.
These new upload speeds must be ordered by phone and are not currently reflected on PhoenixInternet.com
Contact us at (602)234-0917 Option 3 to place your Upgrade Order.