‘It’s a godsend. Fiber is the way to go.’
Sandy Hutcherson remembers the days of dial-up internet: The excruciatingly long time it took to upload a picture or a document to a buyer online. It’s much different today.
F&S Industrial Supply, owned by Sandy and her husband, Frank, was one of the first to sign up for Ripley Power and Light’s high-speed, fiber-based internet in Halls.
“Fiber is the way to go,” she said.
Frank started his business 43 years ago. As internet use increased, the company changed its business model around 2003 to doing more of its business online. Today, 95% of the company’s business is through online sales, Sandy said
The company sells electrical parts, pumps, motors and similar products for assembly lines in factories around the world. Each item is listed on the company’s website, sold and shipped. “Good internet is a must,” Sandy said.
From Dial-Up to Fiber Internet
The Hutchersons’ first internet service was a dial-up connection. “It would take 30 to 45 minutes to upload pictures online,” Sandy said.
Over the next two decades, F&S Industrial Supply went through several internet providers, progressively getting faster internet speeds. When Ripley Power and Light, in partnership with Aeneas, started selling fiber-based internet more than a year ago, the Hutchersons jumped at it.
Halls resident Amy Long remembers the “hit and miss” internet her family had before it signed up for Power and Light’s fiber-based internet.
Like the Hutchersons, Amy’s husband, Kenny, needs reliable and fast internet for his job. Kenny, who works from home for West Tennessee
Healthcare, is on the computer eight hours a day each weekday.
Not only is the speed better, their new fiber internet is also cheaper than their last internet provider, Amy said.
Sign Up for Fiber
Halls residents who want the high-speed, fiber-based internet service can sign up at fiber.aeneas.com, through a link on Ripley Power and Light’s website at ripleypower.com or on the utility’s Facebook page at facebook.com/ripleypowerandlight. By typing in their address, residents can find out if the new service is available at their location.
Halls residents with questions can call Aeneas at 731-554-9200 or the Power and Light Halls office at 731-836-7595 or drop by the Halls office, 509 S. Church St.
Ripley Power and Light owns the fiber network and leases it to Aeneas, which is initially offering telephone and tiered, internet services with up to speeds of one gigabyte.
Ripley Power and Light started high-speed fiber in Halls as a pilot project, said Mike Allmand, President and CEO of Ripley Power and Light. “We are exploring ways to bring fiber broadband to all customers. The response in Halls and funding options will help determine if the fiber network will expand beyond Halls.”
Sandy Hutcherson is certainly pleased her family’s company is within the initial footprint of Ripley Power and Light’s fiber internet. Today, the company’s biggest challenge is no longer internet speeds and reliability. Instead, it’s understanding the many languages her customers speak.
“Power and Light’s fiber internet is a godsend,” Sandy said. “When the internet goes down, our world stops.”