The excitement was palpable at Surf Internet’s ribbon cutting ceremony on Wednesday, May 3, to celebrate 2 Gig fiber-optic services coming to the City of La Porte. All partners involved, including La Porte Economic Advancement Partnership (LEAP), the City of La Porte and Surf Internet celebrated this extraordinary technical advancement for the community. La Porte is the first city in Indiana to experience the upgrade from Surf Internet.
“With multi-gig fiber-optic, the network is faster than the equipment that's connected to it,” said Gene Crusie, Surf CEO. “It's no longer, ‘How fast is my download?’ It's, ‘How many devices can I get in my home? How many connections or how many things can I do over the internet?’ The key is that the internet is no longer the bottleneck for innovation.”
Crusie lauds Surf's ability to give La Porte residents access that is unlimited, expandable, and future-ready. It is a great equalizer, leveling the playing field by giving residents access to advanced technology that is more common in larger cities with deeper resources.
“We believe this is going to develop all kinds of innovation that's going to transform our community through telehealth, remote working, and remote learning,” said Crusie. “A telehealth nurse that has an apartment in La Porte, for example, used to have to drive to McDonald's or Panera Bread to get internet. They can now work from home and access the same resources as those in bigger cities.”
La Porte Mayor Tom Dermody is a firm believer in the ability of high-speed internet connectivity to have a transformative impact on the communities where it is installed. It can be a vital factor in what makes a community successful, especially in smaller, rural cities such as La Porte.
“It's the future – you see families that need their school children to access high-speed internet,” said Dermody. “Businesses need high-speed internet to run their companies.”
Dermody says the city is fortunate to have Surf Internet’s commitment to continual investment in high-speed infrastructure for their residents, delivering an essential tool in personal and economic development.
“We love investment in our computer community,” Dermody said. “Anytime we can have high-speed infrastructure, high-speed fiber, and low costs for our residents while also providing for our businesses is amazing. Surf and the team here have really committed a lot of infrastructure, and we're fortunate to have them as a partner.”
Multi-gig internet adds depth and strength to La Porte’s infrastructure that can help bring in business, according to Bert Cook, executive director of LEAP. As a part of an organization that works to strengthen the city’s economic core, Cook is confident Surf’s expansion is going to result in significant growth for the city. Surf gives these businesses high-speed internet connectivity that allows them to access greater resources.
“It helps us to attract new people, new homes, that can tap into this network,” said Cook. “For the business community, reliability is really important. On this new network, not only what they run, but what they continue to run, is better positioning La Porte to compete in that world.”
Not only is Surf providing high-quality internet access for La Porte, but the company provides access that is affordable as well.
“We're really excited that we're able to offer all-in pricing, including a price-lock guarantee,” said Crusie. “This means a customer is guaranteed that their sign-up rate will be available to them for life, with no surprises on taxes or equipment fees.”
To sign up or learn more about Surf Internet’s 2 Gig internet, visit its website at surfinternet.com/2Gig.
To check to see if your able to receive fiber internet from Surf, visit shop.surfinternet.com/check-service
To learn more about how La Porte Economic Advancement Partnership is working with local organizations, such as Surf Internet, to help strengthen and develop the city, visit its website at laportepartnership.com.
