Crews for Breezeline string cable in Springvale.
Photo: Lee Burnett
By Lee Burnett
Breezeline has been stringing fiber optic cable throughout Sanford in recent weeks, giving the city’s 11,200 households another option for the fastest internet service available. Comcast deployed its Xfinity fiber optic network in 2023.
Breezeline, of Quincy, MA, says the investment in fiber shows it’s serious about high levels of customer service.
“These new fiber-to-the-home deployments are part of our commitment to the Maine communities we serve,” David Hennessey, region director of operations for Breezeline, said in a press release. “Our direct fiber connection to the home or business delivers exceptional speed that will meet and exceed the needs of households and local businesses, today and in the future.” Breezeline offers free installation of fiber for current customers. For more information and to check availability of fiber, visit Breezeline.com.
Sanford is unusual in having two cable TV companies competing for business. Metrocast of Rochester, NH had long enjoyed a monopoly arrangement in Sanford through a periodically updated franchise agreement with the city. The exclusive arrangement is common throughout the industry. Rival cable companies traditionally do not challenge each other’s territories due to the high upfront costs of building out an entirely new network. But business convention is changing. Comcast, the nation’s largest internet provider, entered the Sanford market in 2021. By then, Metrocast had evolved into Atlantic Broadband, which was bought by Breezeline, the nation’s eighth largest cable company. (Spectrum, a third company, serves a tiny segment of Sanford.)
Comcast’s entry was hailed at the time as good for pricing and customer service. City Manager Steve Buck underscored that point in an interview this week.
“We’re very fortunate to have two providers,” he said. The presence of competition forces companies to “step up their game.” The presence of two providers also gives the city two streams of franchise fee revenues, he said. At home, Buck says he subscribes to Xfinity’s fiber-to-the-home service although he said it’s faster than he really needs.
The owner of a local computer repair business has been eyeing the latest stage of competition with interest.
“In my opinion, competition is good,” said Sharon Peraulta, owner of Essential Tech Solutions. “When there’s only one company, and you have a complaint, they always blame the customer and quality control doesn’t exist.”
Peraulta said she recently switched her business from Breezeline to Comcast over problems with customer service but says Comcast service is not much different. “I don’t have a love relationship with them,” she laughed. “Getting a person on the phone is difficult, getting a knowledgeable person is more difficult.”
“If we can bring in competition and push customer service, that would be great,” she said.
Sanford’s economic development director welcomed the higher levels of internet service. “Access to high-speed internet is important, almost as important as clean water and food,” said Keith McBride, director of the Sanford Regional Economic Growth Council. “It’s a necessity. Access to the internet is access to opportunity, better access, faster service is a good thing.”
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