The Steuben County-based communications company held a ribbon-cutting ceremony Tuesday with local officials to celebrate new service to Elmira Heights.
Ultra-fast fiber optic internet service is now up and running in Elmira Heights, and village officials celebrated the arrival of Empire Access on Tuesday with a ribbon-cutting ceremony.
Empire Access, based in Prattsburgh in Steuben County, started as a local telephone company more than 100 years ago, and in recent years has been providing fiber optic internet service to a growing number of Southern Tier communities.
Elmira Heights is the latest, and while the service has been operational for three months, officials from the village and Chemung County and representatives from Empire Access took the opportunity Tuesday to mark a successful launch.
The service is available for businesses and residential customers, along with other organizations, and the Elmira Heights Village Hall was one of the first places to hook up.
"We've had no problems. It's really quite fast and creating jobs for our area is a real plus," said Elmira Heights Mayor Margaret Smith. "Plus it's saving us a lot of money. It's giving us a substantial savings for the village."
Empire Access, using optical fiber technology developed by Corning Inc., provides "the fastest internet in town," according to Chief Operating Officer Jim Baase.
In addition to internet service, the company provides digital TV, phone and security services, all with fiber optic connections that are up to 10 times faster than cable or DSL internet services, according to Empire officials.
The fee for basic phone and internet service for residential customers — including download speeds of one gigabit per second — is $65 a month.
Elmira Heights is the latest of several communities that have added Empire Access service, and the company plans to continue to spread across the Southern Tier, Baase said.
"Our goal over the next year is to build connections in Horseheads, the City of Elmira, the Town of West Elmira, and the Town of Southport," he said. "We are already in Big Flats, Corning, Sayre-Waverly, Bath, Hornell, Hammondsport, Watkins Glen, Montour Falls and Batavia.
"We've doubled our workforce, adding 60 jobs in the last four years, many in the Elmira area," Baase said. "We plan to add 30 to 40 more jobs in the next three to four years."
To learn more about Empire Access, call 607-522-3747 or 800-338-3300, or go to empireaccess.com.