Got Fiber... but also Big Company Blues

Jeff Lee, LittleT Broadband

Before StarLink, we had Frontier DSL. At 1Mbps it was barely functional and at times the Frontier DSL network was unstable, but it did mostly work. Frontier support was passable, and technicians came out within a couple of days to repair lines periodically as the need arose, but the company simply was not able to do anything about the performance of the DSL system.

Once we got StarLink in 2022, things were different. StarLink tech support is virtually non-existent, but for me it was not really needed as I had enough technical knowledge for installation and configuration, the the product simply worked. The performance at the time was much better than DSL and continued to increase over time, though the service like others had occasional outages and of course StarLink has a few unique issues that can affect some users. Yes, StarLink is more expensive than more conventional land line systems and does not work for folks that live in areas with dense tree cover.

I was elated to finally have access to Frontier fiber service back at the end of May. Other than a couple of brief outages such as can be expected with any provider, the service has been pretty solid so far. The problem I am experiencing is not with the service itself or the great technicians that did the install, but it has now been 6 weeks and Frontier has not followed through to bury the 400’ of fiber running across the field to our house. Not only has this been an inconvenience as the cable must be moved every week or so when I mow, but it has also cost additional money in monthly fees as I am unwilling to put my StarLink service on standby until the fiber has been buried. Yes this additional cost of maintaining the two services is a choice, but what is the possibility of damage when burying 400’ of fiber, and how long would it be before someone finally comes out to repair it? Seemed like worthwhile insurance during the short wait to get it buried... which is no longer a short wait.

As many are finding out and reporting, Frontier tech support is often not helpful in promptly resolving issues. Sadly this is not unique to Frontier as over the years we have had similar experiences with AT&T, Comcast, Dish, etc. Like most large service providers, Frontier (now part of Verizon) no longer has any direct support phone number for customer service or technical support. You must contact them through chat either from their website or via the Frontier app on your phone… hence the big company blues. While this may be ok for those who spend considerable time on their computer, phone, or tablet, this does not work for all.

In our case, fiber drop burial is handled by an independent contractor and not Frontier directly. Frontier support is simply unable to help at all on this issue. Given the many thousands of new connections that have been installed over the past several months, I am sure the independent contractor is overwhelmed, but there seems no way to track or resolve this.

I have received reports from others that they are having problems with the new fiber service. It seems that most of the issues of which I have been made aware are not really with the fiber itself, but with things that the fiber supports such as wifi and telephone service. In my case I already had a wifi network set up, so bringing in fiber simply provided a new connection to the internet for my existing network. For most folks however, installation of a new fiber connection also comes with new wifi equipment and possibly replacement of the existing copper land-line phone service with a new digital voice connection over the fiber. 

While the new wifi and telephone systems can offer new features and better performance in your home, they are different than the older systems replaced. In this case different can mean that one must learn and get used to the new system, but it can also mean that the new system may not work as well in some situations and will require some tuning or customization for your home. And this where folks are experiencing more big company blues, as getting a Frontier technician out to correct problems can be challenging and a hassle.

The moral of this blog is that starting up any new service to your home is not without its challenges and hassles, so one must make that decision with their eyes open to this possibility. Though I and many others are experiencing shortcomings in the Frontier support services, sadly this is not much different from other large service providers. If you are fortunate enough to have a choice of multiple service providers, take the time to look at the offering as a whole and not just based on cost… sometimes using a more expensive service from a smaller company with a great service reputation may be a better value than a low cost service from a large provider with a poor reputation.