About Internet Service Plans
Get fiber-fast Internet and phone service for a low monthly rate with multiple service tiers from 25 Mbps to 1 Gbps with no data usage limits or caps. The Town of New Shoreham establishes all plans and pricing to provide options for customers while recognizing the needs and priorities of the Block Island community.
Internet Service Tiers and What They Deliver
There are no data limit caps for any service tier.
The table below lists the Internet service tiers currently available for subscription and the speed that should be achievable with a capable device cabled directly to the router or connected via the router’s Wi-Fi. All service plan download/upload speeds represent the speed delivered to the BroadbandBI equipment (ONT) at the premises. Devices that are direct connected (via ethernet cable) to the router can generally achieve 98% to 100% of the service plan speeds.
Wi-Fi connection speeds will often be less than the service plan speeds, due to characteristics of the device (age, technology), distance from the router, and environmental factors impacting wireless signals.
Best Effort and Guaranteed Service
Plans are offered at the industry standard “best effort” and “guaranteed” levels.
With “best effort” service, multiple users in a pre-designated area share a fixed amount of bandwidth. Because BroadbandBI is a carefully designed network, any congestion from shared use will go virtually undetected as it takes milliseconds to complete even 1G transactions in short bursts. Our network partners monitor the performance of each subscriber and adjust service to achieve best effort bandwidth. (Think of bandwidth as traffic flow on a highway – if the road is adequately designed, traffic moves along with no issues at the speed limit or even above.) The Town has set the bar high for best effort service with its vendor partners, Sertex and Crocker.
“Guaranteed service” is typically purchased by high-end users (e.g., businesses with large data transfer needs or mission-critical applications). This service provides the subscriber with a specific amount of bandwidth on the island infrastructure, and with data prioritized on Island this service eliminates potential contention for bandwidth with other island customers. BroadbandBI cannot guarantee service speeds across the entire Internet as Internet is itself a best effort network service. Guaranteed service requires a 1 or 2 year contract. The cost for early contract termination (service cancellation) is the balance of monthly charges for the remainder of the contract term.
Internet Service Tiers Pricing
No data limit caps for any service levels.
NOTE: New customers joining the network and those who choose to reconnect after disconnection (including seasonal reconnects) will be assessed the following fees:
The above fees apply to the service reconnect performed remotely by the ISP. If a remote reconnect is unsuccessful and a technician visit to the property is necessary, additional service charges including labor and site visit mobilization charges will apply. Since disconnected service cannot be continuously monitored for performance during the disconnect period, remote reconnect cannot be guaranteed.
Phone Service & Pricing
Phone service includes up to 1000 minutes per month long-distance calling in the contiguous United States (forty-eight states, excludes Hawaii and Alaska), Canada and Puerto Rico. Calls to Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean are considered international calls. Phone service includes voicemail, 3-way calling, caller ID and call waiting. Business telephone services are also available.
1. Installation price applies to new customers joining the network and those who choose to reconnect after disconnection.
Seasonal Service Options
BroadbandBI does not offer a designated “seasonal” service plan. We recommend seasonal customers drop down to the minimal 25/25 Mbps service plan during the off-season to enable any internet-enabled “smart” devices (such as smart thermostats, video doorbells, fire/burglar alarm monitoring systems, and others) to continue to function and enable off-site home or business monitoring.
If a customer chooses to disconnect service entirely during the off-season, a $39.95 service reconnect service charge will apply for Best Effort service plans and $200.00 for Guaranteed contract plans. This assumes that a successful reconnect can be performed remotely by Crocker. If a technician visit to the property is necessary to perform a reconnect, additional service charges including labor, site visit, and mobilization charges will apply. Since disconnected service cannot be continuously monitored for performance during the disconnect period, remote reconnect cannot be guaranteed.
For customers with Crocker telephone service, the assigned telephone number will be lost upon disconnection of service.
Future policy and pricing changes possible
The Town/BroadbandBI is reviewing seasonal disconnect activity and its financial impacts as well as the needs and requests of the community. Any changes to the policies and pricing around seasonal disconnects/reconnects as a result of this analysis will be announced and would likely become effective July 1, 2024; community participation is encouraged.
Additional Pricing
Fiber Service Connection
NOTE: Charges were waived for property owners that registered for a fiber drop to an existing primary structure during the initial network buildout in 2023. New customers will bear the cost of the fiber connection.
A quote will be prepared for fiber connection to the exterior of the premises (NID), including any underground drop construction required. These charges will be quoted based on property review and/or a site survey if underground construction is required. If environmental or other permitting is required, the cost will be borne by the property owner.
Interior Equipment Installation and Service Activation
NOTE: Charges for a Standard Installation were waived for property owners that registered for a fiber drop to an existing primary structure during the initial network buildout in 2023. New customers will be bear the cost of installing the interior equipment and activating the subscription service.
Standard installation and activation costs include the following:
Total standard installation and activation costs payable directly to the Town are as follows:
Total standard installation costs payable directly to the installer are $430.00.
Mobilization charges payable to the installer may also apply and will be quoted following receipt of a service subscription and prior to scheduling the installation and activation.
There is no penalty for cancellation of subscription prior to scheduling the service installation and activation.
Customers that cancel a scheduled installation or request rescheduling without at least two (2) business days’ notice will be charged a $135.00 cancellation/rescheduling fee.
Some properties and premises may have installation requirements that exceed the standard installation. Additional items may be necessary to accommodate building characteristics and/or subscriber’s desired equipment location. These will be discussed with the subscriber at the time of installation, along with the applicable charges. Optional items are also available for purchase at subscriber request.
For all custom installation items, payment is required at the time of purchase. Credit card payment only is accepted, no cash or checks.
Commercial installations having multiple dwelling units and/or more complex installation requirements may require a site visit and preparation of a quote prior to installation. Installations for 1Gb/1Gb Guaranteed service will require non-standard (XPS PON) ONT equipment which will be quoted in advance of installation.
Other Fees & Charges
Additional e-mail address: $54 per year
Late Fee: $5 or 1.5% of the past due invoices, whichever is greater
Returned Payment: $15
IP Addresses
Static IP: $5.00 per month
IP4 – 4 Addresses: $20.00 per month
IP8 – 8 Addresses: $30.00 per month
IP16 – 16 Addresses: $40.00 per month
IP32 – 32 Addresses: $60.00 per month
IP64 – 64 Addresses: $90.00 per month
IP128 – 128 Addresses: $128.00 per month
IP256 – 256 Addresses: $256.00 per month
A Note About Future Services & Pricing Models
When identifying a partner to operate and provide service over the Town’s network, it was important for the Town to retain a level of control and flexibility over pricing and service structures. Customers of the network have a variety of needs and the community may wish to distribute costs across service levels in a different manner. The Town, Crocker and Sertex may work together over the duration of the partnership to modify service offerings and pricing structures where appropriate in order to best reflect the priorities of the island community and the customer base. Some pricing was established by contract through the RFP process; other pricing (particularly the Town O&M charge) is set by the Town. Ongoing annual budgeting and rate setting for BroadbandBI will be a public process and community participation is encouraged.