FHMS Broadband

December 2020 Update

As promised, we are moving forward with the FHMS network infrastructure. By Friday December 11 we will have completed the Phase 3 sites in Hawley including Forget Rd near Sidehill farm, the Stetson Road site, the site on West Hawley Road near Savoy Road, the site near Shrimpton’s on Forge Hollow Road and the site near 129 East Hawley Road. Also the Savoy sites on Windsor Road, Haskins Rd south, Savoy Town Hall and Haskins Rd at Bannis Rd. In Florida we activated River Rd north of Hoosac Tunnel (site 2) and the pole at Whitcomb Hill Extension. We also made Florida Town Hall into the second PoP site.

If you live near any of these sites and want broadband, I encourage you to contact Kate Albert at WiValley. Her email is #ob#xngr#at#jvinyyrl.arg#ob# and her phone is 603-546-7204. Provide her with your name, address, city, phone and email address. She will reach out to you.

Phase 4 sites are in the works. Poles are already up at the Hawley Town Hall and the East Hawley Rd site near Yates/Scott. By Christmas we expect to have poles installed on Plainfield Rd near the Scott farm and at the Lawless site, the big house on the cliff overlooking west Hawley. In Savoy we will be installing two poles on Rt 116 near the town garage and near Harrington Rd. In Florida we have installed a pole on South County Rd. We expect these Phase 4 sites to be operational by year end.

The entire network has 172 homes connected so far.

Once Phase 4 infrastructure is all up, we will be focusing on the Borden Mountain site. The permitting is much more complicated. We are also seeking permission from Heath to install a pole there to provide service to the northeastern corner of Hawley-Dodge Corner area.

Once ALL planned infrastructure is up, we will focus on installations and system tweaking to maximize our service capability and reliability.

The FHMS wireless network is an evolving process and there will be hiccups. Please phone OTELCO at 1-833-683-5261 for tech support issues. You can also reach OTELCO through their website “chat” function. Please also email Lark Thwing, the FHMS network chair so he knows where problems exist (#ob#xgujvatwe#at#tznvy.pbz#ob#).

Thank you for your patience.

September 2020 Update

It’s been a while for sure, but things are moving forward after a slowdown due to issues related to COVID19.

According to WiValley, phases 1, 1AA, and 2 of the project have been completed.  At this point 17 sites are operational including  5 in Savoy, 4 in Hawley, 5 in Florida,  2 in Monroe and one in Rowe that serves Monroe.

Work has begun on Phases 3 and 4 and it is expected that the infrastructure will be completed at 15 additional  locations including 5 in Savoy, 7 in Hawley, 2 in Florida, and a major site on Borden Mountain by the end of this year.

Currently we have 121 customers subscribed to the service in the four towns, and we anticipate that we’ll be provisioning service for new customers and speed upgrades through 2021.

Spring 2020 Update

The view from the top of an FHMS pole in Florida, MA.

The first phase of the FHMS project was completed this spring, with almost 80 homes in parts of Savoy, Hawley, and Florida already connected. Phase two is 30% complete, with only seven more sites to be installed before service is up. The last three phases are in progress, and we expect to continue to move forward with installs throughout the year.

If you’re interested in FHMS Broadband service, please give us a call at 833-OTELCO-1 (683-8261), or complete the form to your right and we’ll contact you as soon as we have service available at your location.

Florida, Hawley, Monroe, and  Savoy have teamed with OTELCO and WiValley to bring you FHMS Broadband, a faster more reliable Internet solution!

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04/10/19 Update

Construction of the FHMS Broadband Network is well underway.  The project will be constructed in phases and will serve almost all of Florida, Hawley, Monroe and Savoy when complete. The total duration of the entire project is approximately six months, but it’s important to note that there are many factors, not the least of which is weather, that could cause delays within the schedule.

We expect to be able to start offering service in the Phase 1 area sometime in June.  Phase 2 is scheduled to begin as Phase 1 is complete, and so on.

We know you’re excited to have this Internet solution available and we’re just as excited to be offering it!  Feel free to complete the form at right, and when your neighborhood has service available we’ll contact you to arrange for service installation. In the ‘Comments / Questions” section, please let us know the best method and time of day to reach you.

Available Services:

*For a limited time OTELCO will waive the $99.95 installation fee.  Call Customer Care at 1-833-OTELCO-1

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Updates

03/11/19 Update

OTELCO is excited to announce that the first Wireless tower has arrived in Savoy and construction on the new FHMS broadband network will start immediately. Service will begin as each phase is completed, with some customers gaining access in just a few weeks.

02/25/20 Update

Things are moving along with the second phase of the network construction; poles are being installed at several locations. So far, 20% of our sites are active.