BILLINGS- Competition is usually a good thing, and now there’s another player in the internet game.
Ziply Fiber, a Washington state-based fiber-optic company, is actively developing internet service in Billings.
Ryan Luckin with Ziply Fiber says the product can produce the fastest internet in the country.
“Fiber is that technology,” he said.
To alert folks of the plan, Ziply Fiber put flyers on the doors of 18,000 Billings homes just weeks ago.
And for those who live in the area of Avenue D and 19th Street West, the news came as another option in the internet marketplace.
“I think competition is good,” said area resident Shauna Ottman. “Keeps prices down a little bit and you get the best value for your money.”
Ottman says when she can learn more about the company, she’d consider switching if it means paying less for internet service.
Still, she needs a reliable connection, with a teenage daughter at home and a college student both using the internet for school.
“We used to be CenturyLink customers, and we went to Spectrum because they kind of priced us out,” she said. “So I think it will keep everybody in check a little bit.”
It’s the same story with Tera LaMontagne, who says she got the flyer one evening after a knock on the door from a Ziply Fiber representative.
“I think there should be some more competition, because sometimes Spectrum is in and out,” she said.
Ziply plans to move quickly in the New Year, Luckin says, starting work as soon as permits through the City of Billings are completed and then hooking up new customers in January or February.
Focusing on the Billings metro area first, and then hooking up more rural parts also to the same high-speed fiber optic lines.
“That’s where we will start, and we will expand from there,” said Luckin.
And when it comes to what Ziply is all about, Luckin proudly says, it’s a no pressure deal with no bundles and no annual contracts.
“It’s just great internet on your terms,” he said.
Still, even if it all sounds good on paper, Lamontagne is going to take her time before deciding to switch.
“I want to do my research on a company and build knowledge before I go signing up for something I have never heard of.”
