This Digital Economy we live in has resulted in an explosion of new ways to communicate with each other. Fax machines, modems, wireless phones, the Internet-all have driven the availability of new choices for telecom services in Foster City. With the help of Foster City staff, listed below is a list of the types of telecom services available to the Foster City community.
Plain Old Telephone Service - POTS (as it is known) continues to be available from the primary local telephone company, SBC/Pacific Bell. However, companies such as Sprint, Qwest and others are now providing local telephone services to customers in Foster City. Yet all providers use Pac Bell?s copper lines to provide their services.
Wireless Services ? The largest growth sector in telecom the past 5 years is in the wireless area. Cell/PCS phone providers like AT&T Wireless, Verizon, Nextel, Sprint and Cingular all have a presence in Foster City. A question I get a lot is ?Why is wireless coverage in Foster City so bad?? My answer is ?It?s in the water!? Wireless airwaves don?t reflect well off of water, and since we are surrounded by water, coverage in the City is a challenge. Carriers are building more and more antennae in and around Foster City to provide service to our community, but the challenges of locating and placing antennae are problems that cell providers and City planners face continually, particularly in built-out communities like cities in San Mateo County.
Advanced Digital Services - Currently, there are two services available in Foster City that provide high-speed, digital services to residents and/or businesses: cable modem service through AT&T Broadband Internet; and, DSL services through SBC/Pac Bell, DirecTV-DSL, Qwest and others. Cable modem service provides high-speed internet services through the cable line in your home. DSL allows you combine high speed internet and POTS on the same phone line. By far the most frequently asked question we get at City Hall is ?When will Foster City get DSL?? DSL is currently available in parts of Foster City (mainly North/East of Foster City Blvd.). SBC/Pac Bell is currently rolling out DSL services for the rest of the City. The City Council will receive a report in April from SBC/Pac Bell on where they stand with implementing DSL services in the City. Stay tuned to FCTV and our web site for more information as we get closer to that presentation.
The Council adopted the City?s first Telecommunications Policy in 2000, a document that provides policy direction on dealing with the implementation of telecom in our community. In future Council Corners, I can expand on the unique challenges faced by Foster City in getting a full menu of choices to satisfy our hunger for better ways to communicate with one another. Until then, you can communicate with me directly via e-mail at dwilder@fostercity.org. We also have a full slate of information regarding telecommunications options at our redesigned web site at www.fostercity.org (click on ?Community Info?, then ?Telecommunications?).
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