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Gigabit Berkeley

Posted: Sat Jul 21, 2018 1:09 pm
by cmeisel
I signed up for Gigabit in Berkeley (31 Avenida drive) a few month ago and it changed from May to July. I got an email two weeks ago that work was on track to be finished but nobody has seen any trucks near by and I see no boxes on the poles anywhere. It would be so nice (maybe too much to ask) to know what the status is and what way the fiber is making it’s way up the hill. I got many neighbors to sign up but a better update would make it easier to get many more on board.

Thanks

Claus

Re: Gigabit Berkeley

Posted: Mon Jul 23, 2018 4:17 pm
by simonhmorris
Agreed - Claus I also signed up months ago and have watched the date get pushed back. There's just one week left in July and no sign yet of anything. Can someone please give us an update? I'm trying to decide whether its worth updating my cable modem to squeeze a little more out of my Comcast line, or maybe its not worth it if Sonic really is imminent??

Re: Gigabit Berkeley

Posted: Tue Jul 24, 2018 12:00 pm
by ngufra
At our location it was supposed to be may.
May came and gone.
Website still read May.
I called and was able to schedule appointment and the following week i was on fiber i think.
so dial 611 if you are already on sonic, or their regular number if you are not yet on sonic.
You will get the most up to date information.

Re: Gigabit Berkeley

Posted: Tue Jul 24, 2018 1:02 pm
by derekv
Unfortunately, we're a little behind on our Berkeley fiber progress because of some unforeseen delays. I'll quote a snippet that Dane wrote up in a similar forum post about East Bay fiber progress:
Issues have included a fire in SF that took away splice crews for two days, permit issuance delays due to traffic control plan changes, construction crews in the East Bay having all of their trucks broken into one night a couple weeks ago and all tools stolen, and even squirrels eating through cables requiring splice crews to repair (our version of "the dog ate my homework", I guess).
That being said, I'll still send an inquiry to our project managers and see if we have any news for your specific address, and I'll reach out here once we have a better idea. Thanks for your continued patience - I promise it's worth it.

Re: Gigabit Berkeley

Posted: Tue Jul 24, 2018 8:38 pm
by cmeisel
This is not what we were told. It was may, then July and two weeks ago I got this:
Order #644417
YOU'RE CLOSE TO BEING CONNECTED!
Our engineering team is working to complete your area's Gigabit Fiber network construction this month (woohoo!). Once completed, we'll contact you with next steps, which includes scheduling your installation.

Needless to say that when I look at the route (I assume it goes up Marin in Berkeley to my area) nobody seems connected to give where we are in July it seems impossible. Just tell me so I can plan. I leaned out the window and had so many people sign up and now I look like an idiot. I said sonic is honest, gigabit is amazing, sonic honors net neutrality and sonic communicated well. That last part is a complete bust so far. Again just tell us you can’t communicate too much. Problem do happen, laying fiber is hard and complicated just don’t keep people in the dark and give a realistic ETA. Thanks

Re: Gigabit Berkeley

Posted: Wed Jul 25, 2018 9:23 am
by dane
We are making good progress at this time, and are connecting Berkeley homes daily now. Exciting times!

-Dane

Re: Gigabit Berkeley

Posted: Wed Jul 25, 2018 12:17 pm
by derekv
Claus, I ran your address by our Marketing team and we expect to be ready to go for you by August 2018. That's the most specific I can be currently, but that's the most up-to-date information that I have for your area. My apologies again for the delays, and your patience is hugely appreciated.

Re: Gigabit Berkeley

Posted: Wed Jul 25, 2018 2:55 pm
by cmeisel
I posted an update to our neighborhood group so they would stop complaining and bothering me about it.
I hope it really means August. I still recommend to update pre-orders because the last one you sent said expect july so why not give the new ETA to all and explain all the issues you faced. people will understand.
the coolest really would be a live map that shows updates as new sections come online...:)

Re: Gigabit Berkeley

Posted: Wed Jul 25, 2018 5:46 pm
by dane
We have worked to provide updates when we’ve got changes to our expected scheduling. But providing a list of the issues and challenges just sounds like making excuses, so we’ve not done that.

We have internal mapping, and it’s great to see the geographies coming live in the plant engineering tools. But we haven’t provided mapping publicly due to a variety of concerns, including competitive ones. And for you, your home is really what matters, not our detailed network map. So we don’t see benefit in releasing maps which would outweigh the issues with it.

Re: Gigabit Berkeley

Posted: Thu Jul 26, 2018 12:08 am
by cmeisel
That makes sense. Thanks for the explanation. I only posted on your behalf and updated people because the last update from sonic was July and sounded very sure and upbeat and since people asked over and over I communicated August.
So far sonic has been helpful for me. I got a list of questions answers so I could publish them in the neighborhood group and people were impressed how quickly we got answer regarding pricing, modem needed or not, etc.
I am excited about August and I will make sure to drum up more Pre-orders as we get closer. I want to wait till it is more or less sure and we are within a week or so or I have it installed so I can invite neighbors to test drive speed. That will make it easier to get people to sign up for sure, test the phone line, etc.

Thanks again Dane