Tag Archive for: Brieana Reed-Harmel

Loveland Pulse celebrates 2020 milestones, looks ahead to 2021

A message from the City of Loveland’s Municipal Fiber Manager Brieana Reed-Harmel

 

Happy New Year, Loveland! 

The Pulse team started 2020 with high expectations, solid plans, and a whole lot of tenacity. Launching a brand new utility from the ground up is never simple. Doing so during a once-in-a-century pandemic added an unpredictable layer to this unique process. That said, I am proud to announce that our project is on time, on budget, and our team has met or exceeded the goals set for the first year. More importantly, 2020 has proven that fast, affordable, high-speed internet service is essential to our community. 

2020 Hindsight

Looking back, construction kicked-off during what turned out to be a record-setting, historic November snowfall in our region. We built the crucial core components of our network, allowing connection to the greater World Wide Web, and began transmission of our very first bits and bytes. Our operations platform was brought to life, and over three dozen city team members were trained to use it. We launched residential and business services, allowing our first customers to benefit from our 100% fiber-optic network. Our subscriber rate (or take rate) since our launch, is exceeding our goals in the business plan and we are off to a great start. Read more about how we approach our take rate measurement here and view our monthly Fiber to the Premise reports at pulsefiber.org/PulseInProgress for details. These updates are an important part of our commitment to transparency.

In addition to construction and service, we also sponsored free public WiFi outside the Loveland Public Library, launched a local support center for customers to enjoy 24/7/365 technical assistance, established connectivity for the underserved Big Thompson Elementary School, and started an outreach program for  Homeowners’ Associations to help educate about Colorado 811 laws and protect private infrastructure during construction. Learn more and sign up at our directory by visiting pulsefiber.org/HOA. 

What does 2021 hold?

Heading into year two of a four-year construction project, we will continue to work as quickly, efficiently, and safely as we can to serve you. Additionally, I am happy to share that we will be offering PulseTV service in 2021. With PulseTV you will be able to stream and watch your favorite programming from sports and entertainment to local-only channels and more – live. It’s a viewing experience Loveland has never had before. Sign up at pulsefiber.org/EarlyInterest if you want us to email you when details come available.

As always, we encourage you to stay connected with us at pulsefiber.org, and on social media. 

We are proud to be your trusted, local communications utility. On behalf of the entire Pulse team, thank you for your continued support. We are excited about what 2021 will bring!

Loveland Pulse launches business service plans

Today, Pulse has launched its local, 100% fiber-optic high-speed internet and voice services for business. 

Service is now available to businesses within current Pulse service areas. Business owners and managers – once network construction is complete and service is available in your area, you can sign-up with Pulse for the security, flexibility, and scalability you require to manage the ever-changing technology needs for your company.

Internet and voice access can make or break a business in today’s economy. We are here to ensure that Loveland businesses have the reliable service they need to thrive. Pulse is proud to be Loveland’s community-owned high-speed internet and voice provider, bringing comprehensive, reliable, and competitive service needed for ultimate productivity.

Pulse Business High-Speed Internet Plans

Pulse standard business internet plans include symmetrical speeds, unlimited data with no caps or throttling, 24/7/365 technical support, and no long-term contracts. Internet plans range from 100 megabits per second for $109.95/month up to one gigabit per second for $449.95/month. For businesses with high-bandwidth needs, one to 10 gigabit-per-second internet options are also available. Find out more at pulsefiber.org/businessinternet.

Pulse Digital Voice Solutions

Additionally, Pulse offers an impressive range of digital voice solutions for businesses of any size or budget, with service starting at $29.95 per month. 

What’s so compelling about Pulse digital voice service is how comprehensive it is for any business need. Service offerings start as simply as a single business phone line and scale up to fully hosted, cloud-based, enterprise solutions that alleviate big upfront costs. We can even offer video conferencing and collaboration tools, providing businesses with the flexibility needed to run a company successfully from any environment. Find out more at pulsefiber.org/businessvoice.

One Step Forward in Supporting Loveland Businesses

Our Pulse business launch is another milestone for the project, further solidifying our utility’s role in economic development for the city. Building a 100% fiber-optic network adds critical communication infrastructure that provides equal access to all – fostering a stable and diverse economic foundation. The internet drives the economy forward, with many of the world’s most successful companies leveraging the ability to share information and connect with customers and clients. 

City of Loveland Economic Development Director Kelly Jones comments that “Reliable internet access is a top priority for both local companies and for those looking to relocate here. Growing employment and business opportunities to sustain a healthy economy is our department’s primary focus. Community-owned internet will allow us to bring more jobs to the city and help more Loveland businesses succeed. We can’t wait to see Pulse business service in action.”

We are 12 months into a four-year project. As an area becomes fiber enabled, we will notify businesses in that area directly. Companies that have signed up using the Early Interest Form will also receive email notifications when service is in their area. 

We encourage all businesses to fill out the Business Interest Form for ongoing service updates and direct notification. 

Loveland Pulse Capitalizes on Power Project to Bring Fiber and High-Speed Internet to Big Thompson Elementary

New service allows the school to say goodbye to slow connection and hello to Gigabit speeds.

Loveland Pulse, the City’s communications utility providing high-speed internet and voice services, has installed its 100% fiber-optic network with gigabit internet speeds to Big Thompson Elementary School (BTES) which had poor network connectivity. Pulse was able to capitalize on a Platte River Power Authority (PRPA) project and the power division’s recent electric line upgrades to install its network up to the school. 

Loveland Pulse engineers test new 100% fiber-optic network recently installed at Big Thompson Elementary.

“Our partnership with the Thompson School District made us aware of the severe need at BTES. When our team realized that we could work together with other utilities to save money installing our fiber, we knew we had to jump at the opportunity,” said Brieanna Reed-Harmel, Pulse manager. “The move provides cost savings to Pulse and advances the goal of improved connections for the City and the school district. We will continue to take advantage of other ways to save money and get more people connected through these kinds of collaborations. ”

The City’s move solves a big problem for BTES and Thompson School District (TSD) as students return to schools for in-person learning. Unlike other TSD schools, BTES was on a much slower internet connection due to its location. A 4G connection was turned on over the summer and before that, the school was limited to using radio point-to-point at a bandwidth much lower than 4G. According to TSD Chief Technology Officer Matt Kuhn, before Pulse, the bandwidth at BTES was so low that the school was limited in the types of learning software it could access – the same software that other schools with better internet connections were able to implement. 

“BTES Students could not do nearly as much, as quickly, on the internet as other students. Since most of our software is cloud-based, this was a major problem,” said Kuhn. “Now BTES is not limited by their bandwidth. They can video conference, engage in interactive software, and more with ease thanks to the reliability, high-speed, and symmetrical speeds. Plus, the district no longer has to maintain two different kinds of internet connections to our schools, easing processes and saving us money.”

For BTES, a TSD Ubiquitous Technology Access School focused on blended learning and STEM, the network limitations had a cost to teachers and students as well. 

According to BTES principal Sarah Walgast,  the school has been working to increase technology integration for a few years now. Teachers have been building blended learning models with the hopes of incorporating virtual field trips and tours, meetings with students at other schools and community groups and more.  The unreliable network made it impossible for the school to successfully incorporate those resources. BTES even needed to stagger when classes were online, even through testing, so that students could work online uninterrupted. 

“It was extremely frustrating for our teachers to build out effective blended learning curriculum for students and have our poor connection stand in the way,” said Walgast. “The digital world is our students’ world and as a school, we need to meet our students where they are at. Upgrading to the Loveland Pulse network will help us immensely and we are incredibly grateful for this partnership that will bring so much value to our school and our families.” 

Pulse began constructing its network in November 2019 and it will take three to four years from that date to complete phase 1 of the project, within Loveland city limits. Phase two includes the rest of the City’s electric service area, including Big Thompson Canyon residents. 

“Our local Pulse team can’t wait to see how our network improves the lives of the teachers and students in our schools, starting with BTES,” said Reed-Harmel. “We know there is a critical need for reliable, high-speed internet service across the area and want to thank everyone in the community for their patience as we are doing everything we can to install our network safely and efficiently to get our residents and businesses the connections they deserve.”