281 Internet emerges from Shelter in Place stronger and more resilient

281 Communications Corporation Inc.

Surviving Covid-19

Hi, and welcome to the new normal.  I just wanted to speak a few words to our customers and anyone who might stumble upon our blog about how our company survived and thrived during these trying times.

First I would say we were very lucky compared to many of my counterparts in our industry.  Doing business in the Highland Lakes region of Texas has been a great advantage throughout our history, and my personal career.  Like everywhere in the world, we have had our down years, but in general, our economy has thrived when others have struggled.  I am grateful I chose to live here as a young man.

These advantages were apparent again during these challenging times.  As I mentioned, 281 Internet was very lucky to have been near completion of a year long project to upgrade our network infrastructure to grow.  Less than 6 months prior to the outbreak and stay at home orders, 281 had been hitting dangerously high levels of utilization on it's network resources.  Upgrades completed then brought those levels down to 30% utilization.  This put us in a unique position of being able to handle the new load which jumped 300% between March 1st and April 15th as stay at home orders came into full force.  It also allowed us to take on new clients, many of which were getting home Internet for the first time to keep their kids in school through distance learning, or work from home.

Today, as orders to stay home are rescinded, and our clients look to get back out of the house, 281 is again looking to a future of growth.  I have already seen multiple home sites with full construction crews working again in our area.  With more funding available to businesses during the last couple of months, 281 secured funding and has six new links on order to upgrade and expand our network even further creating higher speeds, lower latency, and more redundancy.  281 Internet is now bringing Internet speeds of 50 Mbps and more download to over 60% of it's network.

281 Internet will be prepared for whatever challenge we face next.  We are doing all we can to insure our clients are also prepared to meet those challenges too.  Whether it be the need to watch TV through their Internet, conduct business, or interact with loved ones you are unable to visit in person, 281 is here to help.

Tim Moczygemba, President
281 Communications Corporation Inc.