Two years ago this month, I read GCET would be starting in the summer, hooking up residential homes with high speed internet, starting on Hope Street (which I can see from my home at about 150 yards). I promptly sent in my $45 deposit. I was excited; I could finally cut the cord with Comcast. I canceled my Comcast Triple play, bought a house antenna to receive local news and weather (I actually get about 20 channels), bought an OOMA Telco account (phone over internet), and an NVIDIA android box to watch movies and TV and a host of other apps available on an android box.

I calculated my triple play cost would drop from $210 per month to $90 per month (for a $1,440 savings per year). I was waiting for Aug. 2017, the date I mistakenly was led to believe, GCET service would be in my area. Well, after bugging GCET monthly, and getting no concrete date when they would be servicing my area, I took back my deposit.

I need high speed internet for my phone and android box, so I was forced to purchase high speed internet from Comcast again. It’s been two years now, and if you look at the coverage map, no one in Precinct 7 has GCET high speed internet, while the rest of the town is now being offered internet and TV service, while Precinct 7 is only getting the runaround and diddly squat. Are the taxpaying homeowners in Precinct 7, different from the taxpayers of the other precincts in town? The $5 million bond in GCET’s name came from the town. Tax money from all precincts in the town was used to provide money for this bond.

Taxpayers in Greenfield who take advantage of GCET can save a lot of money per year. Since all homeowners in Greenfield, except those who live in Precinct 7, can save money by using GCET’s services, I think it’s only fair that GCET reimburse taxpayers who helped fund the bond but are not able to take advantage of their service. (Think of it as like: The bank gives interest to all investors except those of Precinct 7.)

Precinct 7 taxpayers are not getting any return on their investment in GCET. I think our precinct councilor, Otis Wheeler, should work for the taxpayers of Precinct 7 and petition the City Council and GCET to offer the homeowners in Precinct 7 some form of rebate or discount on service once it gets to our area.

Paul Luippold

Greenfield