The fiber internet company MetroNet plans to begin construction in New Bern this fall, with the first customers coming online as early as April 2022.

The service will offer competition for the area’s main internet provider, Suddenlink. 

More:City of New Bern in talks with new internet vendor, would provide Suddenlink alternative

Kris Smith, government affairs director for MetroNet, said the project will take two to three years to complete and will consist of a combination of underground and aerial fiber optic cable connections. 

She said the main draw of the fiber optic service is faster upload/download speeds and smoother video streaming. Services offered by MetroNet include a video service of up to 240 channels, fiber phone with up to 17 different calling features, fiber Internet and wireless phone networking.

“One of the best things about fiber is you don't have that share time with your neighbors, so Saturday nights when you’re streaming a movie you won't experience the wheel of death on the screen,” she commented. 

“Construction can be messy, it can be invasive,” she admitted. “This type of a telecommunications project in most communities hasn’t occurred since the ’50s or ’60s when the original copper lines went in, so it will be unique and it will be different for a lot of folks.”

Smith said MetroNet’s objective is to reduce surprises related to neighborhood construction activity and provide transparency concerning the process.

She said 30 to 45 days prior to construction a letter will be mailed out to residents addressing frequently asked questions about the work. That will be followed up with postcards seven to 14 days before construction with information on how to contact MetroNet.

The final public information step will be individual yards signs and neighborhood entrance signs announcing the constriction is coming. 

Smith said MetroNet employees will be working in utility easements and right of ways, which in some instances may be located in backyards. 

“If there’s a fence present we will place a flyer the day before asking them to please unlock your fence, please restrain your pets and that we’ll need to work in that easement the next day,” she explained. 

MetroNet has a website where residents will be able to access information about the construction project. Smith said the New Bern project should be added to the website within the next 30 days. It will feature an interactive map where residents can enter their email and find out the status of construction in their area as the project moves forward. They can also submit questions and upload pictures to the site. 

“Our commitment to the residents of New Bern is that we will respond to all  construction questions within 24 business hours,” said Smith.

Discussing the signup process, Smith said residents can get information on the company’s sales website, metronetinc.com.

“As we complete a neighborhood we’ll open that up for sales. They’ll get marketing materials and contacts,” she noted.

During the New Bern Board of Aldermen’s August 24 meeting, Mayor Dana Outlaw noted that certain areas of the city have very little internet service. He said the City of New Bern has received more than 200 complaints about Suddenlink through an email set up specifically for that purpose. 

“We’re glad to see some competition in New Bern...We really look forward to a much better internet system,” he commented. 

In March the New Bern Board of Aldermen announced that the City was in discussions with MetroNet to provide an alternative to Suddenlink, the main internet provider in Craven County. The following month the Board approved a request for the City to negotiate and execute an agreement with MetroNet allowing the parties to work through permitting issues, easement plans and questions concerning what MetroNet will offer in the area. 

More:New Bern moves forward with internet provider agreement, offering competition for Suddenlink

In July the City of New Bern established a $7.2 million project fund to facilitate necessary infrastructure work for MetroNet to bring their services to New Bern. The 2021 Make Ready Public Infrastructure for Broadband Service Providers Project Fund was approved by the Board of Aldermen during their July 27 meeting. The funds will be used for infrastructure work needed to bring fiber services to the city.

More:Internet competition is coming: New Bern creates $7.2M broadband fund for MetroNet project

The work will have the largest impact on the city’s utilities and public works operations and will potentially touch every public easement, right of way and private land parcel in the city, said Charlie Bauschard the director of public utilities.

He said approximately $7 million would be needed to make ready the city’s electric infrastructure. The city will be reimbursed for those expenses as part of a pole attachment agreement, said Bauschard. He said he expected a “massive volume of construction activities going on simultaneously and spread throughout the city,” once work begins this fall.

“They want to move fast, they want to get the project installed and get out of here and get the customers connected just as fast as possible,” Bauschard said.