Coming soon to Girdwood: Digital Cable Television
By Ken Smith
Turnagain Times
Girdwood cable subscribers are about to get something they’ve never had before – digital TV.
GCI Cable Inc., the local cable provider, is switching the outdated analog system to a digital system on Sept. 14, offering high definition channels and up to 363 cable channels – a far cry from the 41 total channels currently available.
GCI is now trying to get the word out to local subscribers to pick up a digital receiver so they can continue to receive cable programming.
“Some customers have analog converters to receive premium channels like HBO and Cinemax, the only premium channels currently provided,” said David Fox, Marketing Director for GCI.
With the current analog system, customers without converters simply have a cable line going directly into their TV sets, but even with basic channels, a receiver will be necessary with the new digital service.
If customers want digital internet they will also need to pick up – at no charge – a digital modem. Currently, ACS is the only internet provider in Girdwood. Fox said that ACS’s fastest internet speed is 1 megabyte per second.
However, with digital technology, he said, GCI will be providing internet speeds as fast as 22 megabytes per second.
“ACS offers no more than 1 megabyte because that’s all copper lines provide,” Fox said. “The difference is that traditional phone carriers provide DSL service over twisted copper, and the challenge is that copper can only carry so much information, so that is the restraint; whereas for a cable operation, most of the backbone of our plant is fiber, and fiber has the ability to carry and transmit much more data at faster speeds.”
With all of the cable programming digitalized, picture quality will be enhanced and more programs will be available. And the real reward for Girdwood viewers will be the option of subscribing to HD channels.
Three levels of cable packages will be available to subscribers: Level 1 is standard channels (no HD channels) with 66 channels at a price of $26.99 per month. Level 2 offers preferred services and 126 channels for $69.99 per month. Level 3 is the high-end service, which includes HD channels and 170 total channels for $82.99. Most of the channels in the high end will offer standard and HD channels with over 100 HD channels, including premium channels. But you will have to get an HD-DVR to receive HD channels and have an HD TV.
In addition to receiving HD channels, the HD-DVR is able to record programming. The cost is an additional $8 per month for the HD-DVR.
“It will be interesting to see how many people actually have HD sets,” Fox said, “because you couldn’t get HD with the prior analog service. Now, a whole range of HD programming opens up to you.”
He said the cable service GCI is providing to Girdwood is essentially the same service offered in Anchorage, which has had the digital cable service for several years.
GCI bought the cable service in Girdwood from Eyecom, Inc. in June of 2010 with the promise that the company would invest in upgrading the system from analog to digital. The total investment cost was $1.5 million, said Fox, and the company hopes the investment will pay off with an increase in the subscription base, which now stands at around 500 subscribers. There are over 1,300 households in Girdwood capable of receiving cable.
In addition to digital cable and internet, GCI will be offering digital phone service.
“Cost and reliability are the two benefits for digital phone service,” Fox said,. “and digital phone service is more reliable than copper service.”
GCI is coming in with a highly competitive price for phone service, charging $19.99 per month for unlimited local and long distance phone calls within Alaska and throughout the country. The digital phone service will be available Oct. 1.
Internet services from GCI range in price from $39.99 for 3 Mbps to $109.99 for 22 Mbps. However, with each service plan, there is a usage cap.
Fox said plans are built around each individual customer’s needs. For example, if you use the internet for frequent viewing of movies, you will need to purchase a larger plan than if you are just emailing and surfing online.
Customers may also bundle TV, internet and phone services at a significant discount, Fox said.
“I think people will be very excited with what we’re bringing,” he said.
