KNAPPS STATION – Residents in Knapps Station will be able finally receive broadband internet access later this month.

Slic Network Solutions, a local provider of telephone and high-speed Internet services, is nearing completion of its fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) network to residents living in the northwest portion of the Town of Stockholm and southeast corner of Norfolk.

This is another phase of the $27.8 million project from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act Broadband Initiatives Program, an economic stimulus package to bring high-speed Internet services to rural parts of the country.

In 2010, Slic Network Solutions was awarded a combination of a grant and loan by the USDA Rural Development’s Rural Utilities Service to provide over 800 miles of high-speed fiber optic network to more than 6,500 residences throughout St. Lawrence and Franklin Counties.

In addition to high-speed Internet, the all-fiber network will deliver phone service and cable TV to remote rural areas. Slic says download speeds are up to 15 Mbps, more than seven times faster than the highest level of satellite service available.

Unlike other high-speed services available in rural areas such as satellite and wireless, FTTH is not affected by weather or physical obstructions such as terrain or foliage.

Slic says this Internet access includes unlimited usage, so there is no monthly cap or lowering of speeds for high-volume customers.

The company projects that customer installations will begin the week of Sept. 19 along the major routes, with service rolling out to side streets in the weeks to follow.

Slic has related information and service area maps that can be linked to from theor home page at http://www.slic.com/home.php. The site also gives viewers the ability to pre-order services.

“Our first round of FTTH services in Dickinson Center was met with such high demand that at one point installations were booked nearly four weeks in advance.” said Slic President Phil Wagschal.

For more information, contact Slic Network Solutions Sales Engineer Jeff Yette 274-9022 or sales@slic.com,