MetroNet set to begin in-home installations

The newest entry into Rochester’s cable and internet market is expected to begin installation in select homes as early as today.

MetroNet, which signed a franchise agreement with the city in February, said this week that “the rate of installations will start slow, to ensure quality, with a handful per day, but will ramp up in the weeks to come.”

The first subscribers, according to reports from local customers, appear to be in the northwest part of Rochester. A construction map of activity shows the northwest — the area of town with the highest population density — as a top priority for the company early on; though work on the fiber optic network has also begun in portions of the city’s three other quadrants.

While the map shows where work has begun, it remains unclear how soon service will come online in various areas. A 3rd-party PR firm was unable to make a MetroNet representative available, despite multiple requests.

The arrival of MetroNet marks the first major challenge to Charter, which now dominates the market. As part of its agreement with the city, MetroNet has committed to covering 80 percent of dwelling units within five years.

To learn more about cost/availability, visit MetroNet’s website.

Sean Baker is a Rochester journalist and the founder of Med City Beat.