By Barry Brown, Shorewood Advocate
Residents of Shorewood have been asking for alternatives to Mediacom for quite some time now. At the August 12th city council meeting City Administrator Mark Nevinski said he has been in talks with Metronet. Their crews are currently working installing fiber optics to supply Chanhassen and Victoria.
Mr. Ballow, a representative from Metronet, was available for questions at the council meeting. The City Council unanimously approved a resolution that fiber optics cables will be buried in neighborhoods that already have underground cable and will be hung on utility poles in neighborhoods that have poles. Monthly pricing is listed below:
$29.95/mo. for 100MB
$39.95/mo. for 500MB
$49.95/mo. for 1GB (most popular plan)
$89.95/mo. for 2GB (where available)
$109.95/mo. for 5GB
For many Mediacom customers this could mean savings of $50-$75/mo. or more. A quick look at reviews on the internet for both Mediacom and Metronet and you will find mixed reviews on both when rating customer service, reliability, speed and value.
The project will begin this year with anticipated completion by this time next year. Residents will be sent a letter 30-45 days ahead of work being conducted in their neighborhood and again 14-21 days by postcard. For underground utilities, flags will be placed in the right-of-way (ROW) 5-10 days before work begins and signs will be posted at the entrances to neighborhoods. All communication will be conducted by Metronet and only supplemented by the city.
There are several neighborhoods that are not included in their deployment. These include Echo Road, Mary Lake Trail and Wood Drive, Edgewood Road in the central portion of Shorewood, and Enchanted Lane on the Islands. Additionally, private streets and HOA developments are not included in this deployment but will be picked up by a different department once the build out is complete.
According to a July 24, 2024 press release, T-Mobile and investment firm KKR have agreed to a joint venture to acquire Metronet that expects to close sometime in 2025.
