March 28, 2024

Some rural Newton residents to lose Internet

Approximately 100 Windstream Internet customers will be without service in the Newton, Grinnell, Toledo and Le Grand area next month. Windstream discontinued selling the Fixed Wireless High Speed Internet Service in 2011, but maintained the service for existing customers. Recently, equipment that is used for the service has been discontinued and Windstream made the decision to no longer offer the service.

“It’s just disappointing that they gave us four weeks to figure it out with no options from them,” Jeanne Deutsch, Windstream customer said.

Deutsch has had Internet through Windstream for more 15 years in her rural Jasper County home, dating back to when the company was Iowa Telecom and before. A letter dated Oct. 6 arrived informing her the high speed Internet would be discontinued in a month with no options or other routes to pursue.

“My option with them apparently would be dial-up,” Deutsch said. “How long ago was dial-up?”

Windstream said in a letter that the equipment it utilized to provide the service is provided via Motorola Canopy Wireless signals from towers in the area. The equipment was discontinued by Motorola Windstream had little support for the equipment for the past few years, it said. Due to the age of the equipment and our inabailty to continue to support and/or service it, it made the decision to no longer offer Fixed Wireless High Speed Internet service to remaining fixed wireless Internet customers.

With that, Deutsch began researching other options for Internet service.

“It comes down to you can get a hot spot. It is all expensive and it all has data caps,” Deutsch said.

Another option is satellite Internet which also has data caps and Deutsch was told would not be available for any streaming.

“The younger generation streams. Who doesn’t stream now, everybody does,” Deutsch said. “I wish they would have said, ‘hey can we raise your rates to make it more profitable?’ They never did that at any time. I think all of us would like to keep it.”

Surrounding communities have a variety of Internet providers and at this time it is unknown if the companies will be able to move into Windstream territory after the service is discontinued. Partner Communications, which services Baxter and neighboring communities, has customers a street over from Deutsch, but is unable to offer service to her.

“Because I have a Newton address, Newton phone number, they won’t come in here,” Deutsch said. “But Windstream doesn’t have anything for me.”

Contact Jamee A. Pierson at 641-792-3121 ext. 6534 or jpierson@newtondailynews.com.