Everyone connected with Rock Island has always been helpful
Rock Island is a good service provider, everyone connected with Rock Island has always been helpful, and solved any problem. I am grateful that my phone bill be $19.00 less.
I look forward to meeting with Charlie when it will be possible for us to connect.
Have a good weekend, Barbara
Fast, Reliable and Economical
“I wanted to let you know our fiber experience in Eastsound is awesome so far: fast, reliable and economical.”
Susan Gudgell, Orcas Island
A Happy Lopesian
“I am as happy as is possible with my new internet connection. I came home with my new router plugged it in and have been in heaven since. I am now routing my phone over and thank all of you fine people who have been involved in my new reality.”
Stay great!
Joyce , Happy Lopesian
I have been very impressed
“I wanted to let you know that Rob and Brandon hooked up our fiber modem yesterday and it’s performance is fantastic!! I have been very impressed with their professionalism and craftsmanship throughout the install, we have some further install to do with Brian and will let you know how that goes as well. Thank you!”
Kevin, Olga
Major rave to Rock Island today
“Major rave to Rock Island today. Joel Swartz is the best. Moved the office today and within an hour and a half all computers up and running, VOIP phone system working and Wi-Fi faster than ever! Awesome service!”
Genie, Friday Harbor, WA
The Performance Exceeds My Expectations
“My Fiber Optic connection was lit up today at 216 Marina LN, Cape S.J., Phase II and the performance exceeds my expectations. It has been a long time coming beginning with the middle mile last year and I have to say worth the wait. I appreciate your efforts and that of the entire staff at Rock Island Communications. Thank you for walking me through the process and fielding my numerous questions along the way.
In addition, I want to specifically recognize the installation technicians who completed the last mile at my home. Robbie, Erin and Justin in my opinion demonstrated professionalism, technical competence and displayed outstanding customer communication skills. Please extend my thanks and appreciation for a job well done.”
Sincerely,
Mike, Cape San Juan
I love Rock Island!
“I love Rock Island and love that I am not dealing with a machine in some far away place!”
Jacqueline
The Rock Island Install Crew Did a Fine Job
“Fiber is in and running at 43 Brown Island… The ROCK ISLAND INSTALL CREW DID A FINE JOB. Internet speed is great & phone quality is much improved. Best regards on a job well done.”
J.M., Brown Island
You’re doing great! Great staff! Keeping it local!
“You’re doing great! Great staff! Keeping it local! The quality of your modem is superior to what we had w/ century link.thanks.”
Happy on Orcas
Love it!
“I love this service! You changed my life, seriously.”
It’s a phenomenal program!
“I have better internet on Lopez than I do at home in Capitol Hill. Additionally with the router being wireless is can end anywhere in the house. It’s a phenomenal program!”
It’s a phenomenal program!
“I have better internet on Lopez than I do at home in Capitol Hill. Additionally with the router being wireless is can end anywhere in the house. It’s a phenomenal program!”
YES!
“1) My AT&T Microcell now works consistently, so I can use my cell phone at home, eliminating long distance charges, and greatly reducing international calling charges. 2) I can stream movies without frustrating delays. VERY SATISFIED WITH YOUR LTE SERVICE”
Your LTE wireless upgrade far exceeded our expectations
“We can actually watch Netflix with improved clarity and without a single interruption for the first time ever. Thank you so much. 10 stars!”
Thanks Rock Island! I can now work a full time job!
Before I got my LTE I could only work a measly part time 60 hours a week. Now I can do double that! Thanks Rock Island! I can now work a full time job! 😛
Simply put – HELL YES!!!!!
“Prior provider only afforded 1.5 MB’s. Frequent drop outs and no bandwidth to handle multiple devices. New LTE is stable, fast and with more than enough bandwidth to handle multiple computers, streaming and smart phones. Can’t thank you enough!!!!”
Happily Back Into the Modern Age
“We just got back to Shaw, unpacked and setup the modem, and are absolutely thrilled!!! We’re getting 24.6Gb down, 8.65 upload. Thank you and everyone at RockIsland for making this happen! Happily back into the modern age.”
Eric & Gwen on Shaw
I’m really liking
“I stopped in to your shop late this afternoon to pick up a modem for my guest house. I nearly blew a gasket in dealing with CenturyTel over the last week for the modem and connection I had in that house. It had been fine and then all of a sudden not fine. Several calls to the Philippines that I then insisted be transferred to the US.
I set up the modem in the guest house after I got home. Great signal and fast!
Funny when I called C.T. after having the FTE modem in my main house. I called to pull the plug on my DSL. Of course they sent me to the top of their ladder. They insisted that I keep the same “bundle” – which is two land lines and two DSL’s but would knock off $100 from my monthly bill. That’s great, but I’m going they are going to have to come down even further after this recent experience.
I’m really liking these modems!”
Thanks,
Michele
A Very Positive Experience for Us
“Ellie and I wanted to send you a note about our experience with your installers Erin and Robbie yesterday. They came to our house to do the final connect to the new fiber optic system at Cape San Juan. They were really excellent. They arrived right on time. They got us wired and connected and then registered us with Rock Island. They then took each of our 6 internet devices (two iPads, two iPhones, one iMac and our TV) and entered the new WiFi system with user ID and Passwords. They checked to be certain everything worked well. When they left the system was entirely functional. In addition to being efficient and knowledgeable, they were careful, courteous and funny. Overall a very positive experience for us and very impressive for Rock Island. Congratulations.”
Best. Fred
Simply Fabulous
“Being of an age at which solving tech issues usually turns out to be more frustrating than fun, I just wanted to let you know how exceptionally different my experience yesterday was with Shelby. He was patient, gently humorous, a great communicator, and extremely effective. I left with a smile on my face and three working devices in my tote. Simply fabulous. I would return in a heartbeat, although I hope I don’t need to for a while at least.”
Sincerely, Erica
We’re so excited!
“The installation on Whiskey Hill went perfectly today and I’ve been in touch with George Woodbury so he knows he’s up and running. Robbie and Erin were wonderful.
Now about my installation— Two fabulous guys from Earthworks carefully handling our trench today and laid cable so we’re set for the final installation. I hope this can happen soon. We’re so excited! Let us know when we can expect the finishing touch.”
Bob Gerfy and Joyce Kruithof, Lopez
Please Pass on Our Thanks
“Both in the initial conduit installation and in today’s final clean up, the Earthworks crew was very accommodating and left our drive much better looking than they found it. Please pass on our thanks.
Now we are one splice away from the “Internet” light!”
Bill and Francie Kisko
Love My New Internet Service
“Thank you for a job well done. I live in Spring Point and love my new internet service. I appreciate all the hard work that your guys did. Thank you.”
Nancy Weatherspoon
It’s Been a Very Good Experience.
“When our home owners’ associated voted to have OPALCO and Rock Island install fiber optic communications throughout the Spring Point neighborhood, we were concerned in view of the cost. But now that we’ve had the fiber installed, we’re enjoying the greatly increased speed of our internet reception and looking forward to the prospect of being able to use the fiber cable for our phone as well. We were also concerned that the construction of the fiber network throughout our neighborhood and to our house would be the cause of a fair amount of inconvenience. But we found that that concern was unwarranted.
We want to compliment OPALCO and Rock Island on how expeditious and pleasant their teams have been in all phases of the work. The digging of the trench from the middle mile box to our house was done not only in a single day but with great care not to disturb Meg’s garden. When they connected the cable from the NID box on the outside of the house to the modem/router on the inside, the Rock Island installers, Robbie Padbury and Conrad, were as courteous as they were efficient. And Ali Boe, Kelly Koral and the rest of the team at the Rock Island office have treated our inquiries and requests with smiles, professionalism and grace. All in all, it’s been a very good experience.”
Joe Massey, Spring Point, Orcas
Thank you!!
“We’re enjoying our fast connection enormously! Thank you!!”
Francis and Rebecca Smith
Thank you – and well done!
“In August 2014, when I attended my first broadband meeting with Gerry Lawlor, I thought, “Should we trust this guy? Can he really deliver broadband?”
YES!!! Gerry and the hardworking Rock Island team got the first Spring Point modem lit up in less time than it took us Spring Point homeowners to pass the middle mile assessment and secure a loan. I suspect I’ll continue hearing cheers go up around the neighborhood as more of my neighbors are brought online.
I keep re-running the internet speed test just to see the needle hit 200 MBPS–DOUBLE the top speed that Gerry had committed to. My client conference calls no longer drop. My husband no longer refreshes his coffee cup while mapping files upload/download. We no longer wonder where we will have to relocate our business.
I sincerely want to thank the Rock Island staff and contractors for:
• Patiently answering (and re-answering) the myriad of questions from me, the Spring Point board
and members of our community
• Installing approximately six miles of middle mile conduit and fiber in a topographically
challenging neighborhood while keeping our middle mile costs well under budget
• Delivering an outstanding last mile experience – our conduit installation was complete in about
two hours and the fiber and modem installation took less than an hour
I continue to hear positive reports. Just yesterday, a neighbor told me how impressed she has been with the Rock Island folks – including Brian, Justin, Alan, and Dan – and how it is clear that they are extremely passionate about their work and the impact broadband will make in this community. Another neighbor said the guys came out at 7:30 PM the other night to fix an issue that had come up. These guys are working long hours. They are dealing with challenging landscapes, aggressive timelines, and impatient customers clamoring to be next. They have bent over backwards and are absolutely to be commended.
I want to thank the OPALCO board for showing its commitment to San Juan County by advancing this forward-thinking initiative and thus laying the foundation for improved emergency communications and greater economic vitality. Your leadership is setting an example that I hope will be followed by other co-ops across the nation. Broadband is quickly becoming a must-have utility. I can think of no one better equipped to deliver it than OPALCO and Rock Island.”
Thank you – and well done!
Angela Saxe
Rock Island staff in Eastsound, especially Ali and Kelly, have been very polite and helpful
“We wanted to let you know that today Robbie and Conrad finished the final installation of the BEC Fiber Gateway in our Spring Point home. We were impresses with their polite, efficient and expert demeanor. It took less than an hour with complete cleanup and we now await activation to the network. Also, the Rock Island staff in Eastsound, especially Ali and Kelly, have been very polite and helpful.”
Don and Sandi
But What is More Amazing is the Human Attention I Got
“I just returned to my computer tonight and was delighted to discover my internet running at 50/50 Mbps. Wahoo! (Dan, Alan, I don’t have an address for Justin or Thomas, but please pass on my thanks to them and all the staff.)
I didn’t expect this fix to happen until next week, but once again, you guys came through and went the extra mile to find that kink. We Orcas denizens are not accustomed to this kind of excellent service.
Background: I was the second Spring Point user to come on line last week, but unfortunately had a nasty, hard-to-find glitch which kept the up/down speeds fluctuating below 25 Mbps. When I called this in on the Rock Island help line, I quickly got the whole team press to make it right. The task included methodically eliminating the possible gremlins in the modem, the connectors, and the vaults. It was a truly confounding gremlin which allowed a “ping” or red light passage back up 16,000 feet of fiber line, but nonetheless wouldn’t support the full speed. Amazing that you guys could even track down a single fiber wrinkle!
But what is more amazing is the human attention I got — at least two late-evening work sessions by Alan and Justin, several extra day trips to Spring Point, repeated calls from Dan to schedule and coordinate service, and even a call-back from San Juan to Orcas for Justin to work on my glitch in some very wet vault conditions. Wow! I believe that many of us on Orcas have become conditioned to a sort of hair-trigger cynicism about repair services, timely work, and scheduling disappointments. Orcas is, after all, a small market with limited personnel and difficult terrain — we get it. That’s what makes it so amazing when we get this kind of excellent service and attention from Rock Island.
In fact, the entire Middle Mile fiber installation in Spring Point has been amazing, under budget, and completed timely. Yes, a few unmapped phone and water lines have been broken in the process, but these were rapidly mended. The contractor excavation work has also been excellent, especially given the Spring Point rocky terrain — but you can drive in Spring Point now and barely tell that miles of fiber has been installed.
Most important — even better than the technical skills and professional services — is the attitude and courtesy which the Rock Island team and their contractors have displayed. It has been great to associate with a bunch of folks who are enthusiastic about their work, and motivated by their conviction that they are delivering a valuable resource and good product for the San Juan County community. I’m not sure who has inspired that kind of spirit or how it is being maintained, but GOOD JOB ! The traditional OPALCO code of excellence is being well represented by Rock Island.
Please feel free to relate this story, and my appreciation, to the OPALCO Board or anyone who may need to know.”
Norm Zimlich
“I Wanted to Express my Appreciation and Thanks
“I wanted express my appreciation and thanks to you, Bill, and his Earthworks crew for getting all the digging middle- and last-mile trenching done on the easternmost four Matia View Project properties before our vacation departure, which will be next Monday.
Bill, the foreman, was very pleasant to work with and his crew did a fine job. The digging on these easternmost four properties went quickly in the soft soil, and all sewer, water, electrical, telephone, and TV cable lines were happily avoided. The trenches were nicely covered, reseeded, and spread with straw as needed.
Ann and I will be back in mid-December, and anytime after that which is mutually convenient, we’ll be available to provide access to interiors of the Hull LLC, Holloran-Rees, Edquist, and Snelson for the inside wiring. As you know, Brian has already been out and made notes for the interior locations of modems.
Again, many thanks for keeping the project moving.”
Sig Snelson
All the Residents are Raving About the Extraordinary Customer Service
“Dear Dan,
Ryan Schrock is, without a doubt the most professional, exceptional contractor I have ever had the pleasure to work with.
He made this promise on Day One: “we will leave the grounds looking better than we arrived.” When the crew finished up last, week, they had done that and more!!!
All the residents are raving about the extraordinary customer service he provided.”
All the best,
Lorrie Harrison
Executive Director, Lopez Hamlet Cottages
If you can get the LTE service, do it!
“If you can get the LTE service, do it! A service technician can set it up for you for $100 or you can pick up the unit from Rock Island and very easily do it yourself or $50. It is modem and wireless router in one. The speed for both seems to be the same.
I don’t care about the politics, I now have great service for Internet and cell phone. That’s the bottom line.”
Don Pencil
That has happened…NEVER…
“Dear Rock Island: My dear husband and I are both sitting here working on our computers at the kitchen table. That has happened…NEVER… We have never been able to be online at the same time in the 4 years we have lived here on Orcas. Thank you Rock Island. You have changed our lives! Gene Nery, Dan Burke and everyone else I can’t tag, you rock.”
Kiki, Pole Pass, Orcas Island
Dear Rock Island,
“We wanted to take a moment to thank you for your efforts and services this year. After 15 frustrating years of being treated like the unwanted step child by Century link (despite the valiant efforts of local representatives) we are so grateful to have an alternative to high speed internet and phone service. It’s been like the digital equivalent of being delivered from the wilderness. It has been our experience that Centurylink clearly provided our island with only the bare essential service to satisfy regulatory mandates that, in any competitive marketplace would have resulted in bankruptcy and/or the public flogging of executives through the streets.
We consistently averaged 1-3 MB download speed while paying for 6MB service which suffered complete service failure on a regular basis. I would spend on average about 2-3 hours a month on the phone with their customer support which would usually get me a couple of weeks of marginal service. After a decade and a half of praying to the technology gods to deliver us from our tribulations we would have gladly paid more for less service if it was just consistently marginal.
Last month we installed a Rock Island wireless LTE receiver with little hope for success as we are essentially in a low lying area surrounded by trees and basalt outcroppings. Plugged in the router and almost burst into tears when it spun up to 22 MB down. I would have paid double my Centurylink bill for service like that, instead we now get roughly 700% faster internet and the same phone services for about 25% less a month. Rarely does a product come along that is better and cheaper then the alternative. We thank you for the services that you are making available to Orcas Island and look forward to being loyal customers.”
Sincerely,
Ed and Amy Masters
Orcas, WA