WOW Cable, Internet Moving Into Harper Woods
WOW Internet, Cable and Phone announced Friday that it began construction of its fiber optic cable network in Harper Woods.
Englewood, Colo.-based WOW, formerly Wide Open West, is the 15th largest cable TV provider in the country. With a Michigan headquarters in Madison Heights, the company has operated in 44 communities throughout Southeast Michigan for more than a decade.
Last fall, WOW obtained a cable franchise that paved the way for constructing its own network to serve the residents and businesses of Harper Woods. WOW is investing more than $2 million in Grosse Pointe Woods and will continue to invest in the community as its customer base grows. The company's entry provides Harper Woods residents and businesses with more competitive choices in Internet, cable television and telephone providers.
Network construction began in two areas of the city the first week of May. The new fiber optic network will be installed on the existing utility poles located in the dedicated public easement. Crews have already surveyed all the pole lines and trimmed tree branches that encroached into the space on the poles where WOW's network will be installed. During the construction process, WOW's crews will need to access the dedicated public easements on several occasions in every neighborhood. Construction vehicles will be clearly identified and crews will carry company issued identification.
"We are doing everything possible to make the construction process as seamless and transparent as possible," said Floyd Armstead, vice president of technical operations. "However, we won't be invisible. We will keep customers informed of where we are and what we are doing throughout the process via mail and door tags."
The construction of the WOW network is expected to take six months to complete. The network will be constructed in small geographic sections called nodes. Construction started on the northeast side of the community and will travel southwesterly. After each node is completed and certified by the company's engineers, customers can begin to sign up for WOW service.
According to senior vice president and general manager Mark Dineen, customers who live off the first nodes to be activated should be able to choose WOW for service beginning in late June. Node activation will continue on a rolling basis. WOW plans to personally notify every resident when service is available to their specific home. More information is available at www.wowway.com/comingsoon.
WOW Cable features Basic Cable, Digital Cable, and advanced services such as HDTV, VOD, and DVRs. WOW Internet provides customers with a choice of high-speed connections from 2 megabits per second up to 15 megabits per second. WOW Phone offers the convenience of unlimited local and local toll calling, as well as packages that include unlimited nationwide long distance in the United States. Customers can bundle any two or all three services together at a discount.
In Michigan, WOW service is available in Allen Park, Berkley, Beverly Hills, Birmingham, Canton, Centerline, Clawson, Clinton Township, Dearborn, Dearborn Heights, Eastpointe, Ferndale, Fraser, Garden City, Grosse Ile, Grosse Pointe Woods, Harrison Township, Hazel Park, Huntington Woods, Lincoln Park, Madison Heights, Melvindale, Mount Clemens, Northville, Northville Township, Pleasant Ridge, Plymouth, Plymouth Township, Riverview, Rochester, Rochester Hills, Roseville, Royal Oak, Shelby Township, Southgate, Saint Clair Shores, Sterling Heights, Taylor, Trenton, Troy, Utica, Warren, Wayne, Westland, and Woodhaven.
