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Information technology specialist Greg Phillips sits at his desk in his house off Pioneer Drive. Phillips, owner of AirTegrity, specializes in broadband wireless technology and has been operating in the Tahoe area for 10 years.
SOUTH LAKE TAHOE — With winter in full swing, many residents might be wishing they could work from home, staying warm and cozy with a mug of hot cocoa rather than venturing out into the cold.
That is a possibility for more people living outside of South Lake Tahoe city limits, now that Charter Communications has expanded its high-speed Internet service into the Meyers area.
Charter Communications rebuilt the Meyers and Montgomery Estates cable system, and will offer service in 5, 10 or 16 megabytes per second in the new year, said John Figueroa, Lake Tahoe Basin Charter Communications manager.
Charter previously did not provide Internet service to Meyers, Figueroa said. Residents had scattered DSL service and dial-up options, he added.
The system rebuild took most of the year because of permitting hold-ups, and luckily it was complete before the first snow, Figueroa said.
Before offering high-speed Internet to customers, Figueroa started a test run in about four different locations, and included two information technology professionals as participants.
IT professionals typically can’t work from home unless they have the ability to send large files, Figueroa said.
“These are not just e-mails,” Figueroa said. “These are people who are sending pretty thick files out there.”
The test has been going on for several weeks, and will continue for about 45 more days, Figueroa said. So far the new system is working well, he added.
Montgomery Estates resident Dave Norton is one of the IT professionals testing the new system. Having high-speed Internet allows him to work more efficiently, he said.
Originally Norton had two DSL lines, which were 1.5 megabytes per second. Now he said he can download files 10 times faster.
“If I had to wait all day before, now it just takes an hour,” Norton said. “It makes a difference on how productive I can be.”
Norton became involved with the testing process through meetings of IT @ LT — a networking group for information technology professionals.
The Lake Tahoe South Shore Chamber of Commerce began hosting IT @ LT meetings, which provided a venue for telecommunications companies to speak with the workers, said Betty “B” Gorman, LTSSCC president.
Representatives from AT&T and Charter Communications began talking with residents to find out what they needed to work from home, Gorman said.
Most AT&T customers in concentrated population areas have broadband Internet, said Pamela King, AT&T regional manager. People can type in their address on the AT&T Web site to see what’s available in their area.
Another IT professional testing the service in Montgomery Estates is Greg Phillips. He said he can stay home and work when there’s a snowstorm. Phillips’ Internet speed is now 16 megabytes per second; previously it was 1.5 megabytes per second.
Phillips needs the faster speed for video conferencing from home.
Gorman thinks improved Internet service will entice more IT professionals to move to the South Shore.
Norton has seen neighbors move off the hill because they couldn’t get the Internet service needed to telecommute.
That is a possibility for more people living outside of South Lake Tahoe city limits, now that Charter Communications has expanded its high-speed Internet service into the Meyers area.
Charter Communications rebuilt the Meyers and Montgomery Estates cable system, and will offer service in 5, 10 or 16 megabytes per second in the new year, said John Figueroa, Lake Tahoe Basin Charter Communications manager.
Charter previously did not provide Internet service to Meyers, Figueroa said. Residents had scattered DSL service and dial-up options, he added.
The system rebuild took most of the year because of permitting hold-ups, and luckily it was complete before the first snow, Figueroa said.
Before offering high-speed Internet to customers, Figueroa started a test run in about four different locations, and included two information technology professionals as participants.
IT professionals typically can’t work from home unless they have the ability to send large files, Figueroa said.
“These are not just e-mails,” Figueroa said. “These are people who are sending pretty thick files out there.”
The test has been going on for several weeks, and will continue for about 45 more days, Figueroa said. So far the new system is working well, he added.
Montgomery Estates resident Dave Norton is one of the IT professionals testing the new system. Having high-speed Internet allows him to work more efficiently, he said.
Originally Norton had two DSL lines, which were 1.5 megabytes per second. Now he said he can download files 10 times faster.
“If I had to wait all day before, now it just takes an hour,” Norton said. “It makes a difference on how productive I can be.”
Norton became involved with the testing process through meetings of IT @ LT — a networking group for information technology professionals.
The Lake Tahoe South Shore Chamber of Commerce began hosting IT @ LT meetings, which provided a venue for telecommunications companies to speak with the workers, said Betty “B” Gorman, LTSSCC president.
Representatives from AT&T and Charter Communications began talking with residents to find out what they needed to work from home, Gorman said.
Most AT&T customers in concentrated population areas have broadband Internet, said Pamela King, AT&T regional manager. People can type in their address on the AT&T Web site to see what’s available in their area.
Another IT professional testing the service in Montgomery Estates is Greg Phillips. He said he can stay home and work when there’s a snowstorm. Phillips’ Internet speed is now 16 megabytes per second; previously it was 1.5 megabytes per second.
Phillips needs the faster speed for video conferencing from home.
Gorman thinks improved Internet service will entice more IT professionals to move to the South Shore.
Norton has seen neighbors move off the hill because they couldn’t get the Internet service needed to telecommute.
