Thank goodness. Finallya petition that should NOT be terribly controversial.

For those who don't know, Fiber is now available in the Countrywood portion of the neighborhood. However, it is not yet available in the Highlands portion of the neighborhood.

After about a dozen phone calls to AT&T and some contractors in the area, I confirmed there are no pending plans to add Fiber to the Countrywood Highlands portion of the neighborhood. I have been told by AT&T representatives, however, that we can get added if there is significant interest.

• TL;DR

If you know Fiber is awesome and you want it available at your home, please sign the petition to ask AT&T to install it in the Countrywood Highlands portion of the neighborhood...not just Countrywood. If you want more info, read on.

• Do you work for AT&T?

No. Like a lot of us, I have been working from home more in the last 2 years and I think our neighborhood would benefit from a meaningful choice in actual high-speed internet providers. My purpose in sending this petition is to hopefully move the Countrywood Highlands up in line to get Fiber.

• What is AT&T Fiber?

AT&T Fiber is ultrafast internet that is connected through a fiber optic cable. This is different from traditional cable internet, which transmits information by sending electricity over copper wires.

Because Fiber uses light to transmit data and not electric signals over copper wire, it can provide far more bandwidth at faster speeds. This is also why installing fiber requires the installation or new fiber optic wires in older neighborhoods.

• What is the difference between Spectrum Internet and AT&T Fiber?

While download speeds might be similar on the lower end of Fiber's offerings, the upload speeds will be vastly improved with AT&T Fiber. Upload speeds affect video conferencing, file sharing, sending emails, VPN connections, uploading photos or videos to the Web, interactive video game play, and more. Download speeds affect downloads, streaming TV or movies, viewing YouTube videos, etc.

• Which is cheaper or more cost effective?

While it depends on your bundle and promotion with Spectrum, AT&T Fiber will likely be a cheaper internet option when you measure it by Dollar/Mbps or Dollar/Gbps. In other words, you will get more speed for your buck with AT&T. I will attach a screenshot of what AT&T Fiber is offering currently in Countrywood (not Highlands), so that you can compare to your current internet cost and speeds. Keep in mind, AT&T Fiber download and upload speeds are equal, while Spectrum throttles upload speeds to show preference for download. For example, if you currently have Spectrum 1 Gig internet, you get 1,000 Mbps download / about 40 Mbps upload. AT&T Fiber 1 Gig plans provide 1,000 Mbps download / 1,000 Mbps upload. So upload speeds are significantly improved with Fiber.

• Is AT&T Fiber requiring annual contracts?

No. See attached image for a Countrywood address.

• Why do I need to sign this petition?

Simply put, more signatures showing interest in the product will induce AT&T to prioritize our neighborhood.

• Do I have to get AT&T Fiber if I sign?

No. You will just have a choice between Spectrum and AT&T in the future.

• Conclusion

As a neighborhood, I think we should have a meaningful choice between high-speed internet providers. Countrywood currently has fiber offered up to 5 Gbps (5,000 Mbps), and the Countrywood Highlands portion of the neighborhood AT&T speeds are much, much slower. As you can see from the image, Fiber is often cheaper and offers more bandwidth per dollar. You can learn more about AT&T's current offerings by plugging in an address here: https://www.att.com/availability/