Fiber optic internet prices are too high, an American opens his own network

Jared Mauch, a network architect for Akamai, a very large CDN (content delivery network) in the US, decided to open his own fiber optic transmission service.

The reason is that if Mauch does not open his own network, he will have to choose between using AT&T's extremely slow internet connection with a speed of only 1.5 Mbps or paying Comcast $50,000 to have the network extend a fiber optic broadband line to a remote area of ​​Washtenaw County, Michigan.

This is a fairly common situation in many remote areas of the US. That is why Mauch decided to start his own network operator under the name Washtenaw Fiber Properties LLC.

After starting his own network, Mauch was not only able to serve his own family, but also provided free 250 Mbps internet to a church and served about 70 customers in Washtenaw County.

Mauch's carrier recently received $2.6 million from the US government's post-COVID-19 state and local financial recovery fund to expand its Internet service coverage.

Mauch's mission after receiving investment is to expand from 22.5 to 83km of fiber optic cable, which can serve nearly 600 households.

Mauch's network has two packages for customers to choose from, including a $55/month package with 100Mbps bandwidth for both upload and download speeds, or a $79/month package with 1Gbps unlimited data.

Mauch plans to complete the network expansion project and serve users before the end of 2023, while the contract to receive $2.6 million in support from the US government is set to be completed before 2026.

The biggest challenge for Mauch right now is the increased cost of equipment compared to before. In addition, operating a network is not Mauch's main job.

Jessica Tanner

Update 09 December 2024