Fiber to the Home

In October 2019, the SELCO Commission voted to pursue a Fiber to the Home deployment to bring fiber internet service to every home and business in the Town of Shrewsbury. Construction on this project began in 2020 and is expected to take five years to complete.

This superior technology will provide consumers with the bandwidth and speed needed for modern life. Fiber service offers outstanding reliability and symmetrical upload and download speeds that best support learning and working from home as well as video streaming, gaming, smart home “internet of things,” and so much more.

SELCO’s Fiber deployment will help drive economic development and facilitate smart city initiatives. It is our belief that we are building the foundation needed to keep Shrewsbury a highly desirable community in which to work and live.

Planned Timeline

Our deployment plan consists of various phases, starting in the northern part of Town. The interactive map below shows the areas covered by each phase and estimated construction dates. Fiber will become available in individual neighborhoods throughout construction as work is completed in different areas.

Areas are split up by “nodes” throughout Town. Each node has a fiber-ready date estimated by the quarter in a given year.

To determine when fiber will be available in your area – enter your address in the map below. A key will appear with the estimated fiber-ready date; refer to the key below.

Please note that the estimated release dates are subject to change based on various elements such as workforce and supply availability.

When fiber is available in a specific area, the following will occur:

Customers will receive an email and telephone notification informing them that their area is ready for fiber.
SELCO will contact individual customers to coordinate a site survey in which installation techs review fiber access at each home and install new access drops.
Following the site survey, SELCO will contact the customer to schedule a complete fiber installation.

Note: There will be a “sunset date” for old legacy cable modem service in each neighborhood, which will be communicated to customers through phone calls and direct mailings. Any customer who does not migrate to fiber by the date indicated for their area runs the risk of losing internet access as our old legacy service is discontinued.

Fiber Construction FAQs

I see crews running fiber in my neighborhood. When can I expect Fiber service to be available?

Completion of our Fiber to the Home project will take approximately three to five years. You may see infrastructure being built in a variety of areas throughout town. Seeing work being done in your neighborhood does not necessarily mean fiber is going to be available in your area right away. However, when the project is complete, Fiber internet service will be available to every home and business in Shrewsbury.

Our deployment plan consists of three phases, starting in the northern part of Town. The map above shows the areas covered by each phase and estimated construction dates. Fiber will become available in individual neighborhoods throughout the construction process as work is completed in different areas. Customers will receive telephone notification when they are able to sign up for Fiber service.

I received a notice that crews will be working in my area and installing equipment on the exterior of my home. Do I need to be home when the box is installed? Will I be charged for this equipment?

The installation of the box and wires to your home are required for future deployment of Fiber internet service in your area. There is no cost for installation of this equipment. You do not need to be home while this equipment is being installed.

An example of the equipment that will be installed on your home:

Will I lose internet service when your contractors install this equipment on my home?

No, deployment of this preliminary infrastructure does not affect service to your home.

How does Fiber get to my home?

Step 1 – fiber is run either through an aerial or underground drop to the box installed outside your house.

Step 2 – a fiber cable is run from the box inside your home to what is known as an ONT, or optical network terminal.

Step 3 – the ONT will convert the signal coming through fiber to separate signals for tv, voice, and data.

Step 4 – if you choose to use our enhanced wifi, we will run a network cable to SELCO’s router and then you can connect anywhere in your house to the internet.

What will installation look like? What fiber equipment belongs to me? What fiber equipment belongs to SELCO?

Outdoor Equipment: Each home will receive a single dedicated underground or aerial drop. From the MST, the fiber path will follow your existing utilities. Aerial drops will be completed at the time of your interior appointment.

Indoor Equipment: A standard installation includes the ONT installed in the basement, and Cat6 hardwired to a WiFi router (ONLY if a customer orders SELCO’s enhanced wifi), usually installed on the first floor in a central location. In the event of a power outage, the ONT and router will need to be powered by a generator or UPS to continue service.

Definitions:
MST (Multiport Service Terminal) – provides multiple fiber ports for service connections

NID (Network Interface Device) – junction box usually installed outdoors for conversion from outdoor to indoor connection

ONT (Optical Network Terminal) – a device that converts between electrical and optical signals at the customer location

Cat6 – Category 6 cable uses four unshielded, twisted-pair wires to carry up to 1 Gbps data signals up to 100 meters. You may need a licensed electrician to run this inside walls if needed*.

Uninterrupted Power Supply (UPS) – a device that can provide short-term backup electrical power for connected devices (not provided by SELCO)

Router – A device that forwards data from the modem/ONT to a wired and wireless signal. You may also purchase a mesh router system to have better wireless coverage in your home.

Fiber Project FAQs

When will Fiber be available in my neighborhood?

Our fiber to the home deployment will take approximately three to five years to complete. When we are done, every home and business in Shrewsbury will have access to a fast, reliable connection with symmetrical upload and download speeds through SELCO’s Fiber internet service.

Once fiber service is available in your area, we will let you know! As fiber becomes available in neighborhoods throughout Shrewsbury, SELCO will be sending notices to customers to let them know when they are able to sign up for service through phone calls and email messaging.

There will be a “sunset date” for old legacy cable modem service in each neighborhood that will be clearly communicated to customers through phone calls. Any customer who does not migrate to fiber by the date indicated for their area runs the risk of losing internet access as our old legacy service is discontinued.

What is SELCO’s Fiber to the Home Project?

In October 2019, the SELCO Commission voted to pursue a Fiber to the Home deployment to bring fiber internet service to every home and business in the Town of Shrewsbury.

Construction on this project began in 2020 and is expected to take three to five years to complete.

Do I have to switch to Fiber for my internet service?

Yes! SELCO’s deployment of fiber is intended to replace our legacy internet plant. SELCO will reach out to customers to transition them to fiber as service becomes avilable at their location. There will be a “sunset date” for old legacy cable modem service in each neighborhood that will be clearly communicated to customers through phone calls. Any customer who does not migrate to fiber by the date indicated for their area runs the risk of losing internet access as our old legacy service is discontinued.

How much will this project cost and how is it being funded?

The total project cost is estimated to be around $30M. Half of this project will be paid for using funds that have specifically been set aside for plant upgrades. The remaining $15M is being financed through a bond authorized at Town Meeting in 2020.

Why did SELCO decide to go with Fiber to the Home instead of some other option?

Between 2012 and 2019, SELCO hired consultants to conduct several studies to evaluate the best options for deploying the next generation of internet service in Shrewsbury. Comprehensive reviews of our existing plant as well as in-depth engineering and financial overviews of possible NextGen solutions were developed.

The studies showed that Fiber to the Home provided the best value over the long term life cycle, offered superior technology, was the best solution for work at home professionals, and would be a key factor in economic development and future smart city initiatives in our community.

Why is Fiber internet service better than traditional cable modem service?

Traditional cable is transmitted over a copper wire using electric pulses and needs constant reamplification. Fiber uses light through a very thin glass strand to transmit signal, this means it can travel faster and further distances without amplification. This provides more consistent speeds than cable, and leads to less latency and higher uptimes.

Fiber is relatively immune to many of the conditions that cable is susceptible to, such as weather, power outages, or temperature fluctuations.

You say this project will take three to five years to complete. When will you get to my area of town?

Our deployment plan consists of three phases, starting in the northern part of Town. The map below shows the areas covered by each phase and estimated construction dates. Fiber will become available in individual neighborhoods throughout the construction process as work is completed in different areas. Customers will receive a notice letting them know when they are able to sign up for Fiber service.