Broadband coming to Hansville by year's end

HANSVILLE Digital Subscription Lines (DSL) that have been promised to Hansvillians for the past three years will be delivered by the end of this one, CenturyTel officials said Wednesday.

About 20 people attended a meeting at the Hansville community Center to discuss the area’s future with broadband. Many were not bashful about asking when the service will be up and running. Some were blunt when sharing their disappointment with past broken promises.

“You’ve promised us firm dates for three years and you have yet to honor the connections you promised us,” said Sudie Parker-Henson.

She echoed the dissatisfaction that the majority of people who attended the meeting felt. Residents said customer service representatives gave them false hopes telling them it was “coming right over the hill.”

About 75 people have signed up on CenturyTel’s “wish list” meaning they would like to have DSL service, if offered.

Tim Grigar, general manager for CenturyTel’s Washington and Oregon service assured them the promise this time would indeed be met.

He said the lines were ready to go, but a new business enterprise just south of Eglon took up most of the capacity and delayed Hansville’s DSL access.

Grigar outlined the company’s plan to fill in a fiber gap between Kingston and Eglon and make upgrades to the Driftwood Key hub. He and a team of CenturyTel employees were invited to the community meeting to clear up any miscommunication of plans. They said lines that would bring access to Hansville and Twin Spits were scheduled to be installed in September, 2002.

Once electronic equipment is installed at the new Driftwood Key remote center, DSL service should be available in Driftwood Key by the end of 2003.

“I’ll commit to those time frames,” Grigar said.

He explained that being a rural phone company it takes a lot of money to make these improvements. In the past two years CenturyTel has invested more than $2 million in the Hansville area.

CenturyTel serves about $1.8 million customers nationwide and 200,000 in the Puget Sound area.

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