News and Blog

Xchange Telecom Corp. Chosen by the FCC for its Broadband Adoption Pilot

Xchange Telecom is proud to announce that it has been chosen by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to participate in the FCC’s new pilot project to advance broadband adoption. As one of only fourteen companies across the United States to be selected, and as the only New York provider to be selected, Xchange will, over the next few months, begin rolling out a discount plan for eligible low income customers that will provide significant savings to their broadband costs. In order to rigorously test how best to use a “Lifeline” discount program to support broadband adoption, the pilot will focus on specific neighborhoods in Brooklyn and gather data and provide analysis on a wide a range of geographic, technological, and programmatic variables. The Pilot Program will run for 18 months, beginning on Feb. 1, 2013. This pilot program will enable New York City low income residents to participate in these broadband pricing discounts well in advance of the rest of the country.

In partnership with Baruch College of the City University of New York, Xchange will test market different Lifeline discount plans in different areas of Brooklyn, in order to provide the FCC with actual results assessing adoption rates. In addition, Xchange, in partnership with CUNY and Older Adults Technology Service (OATS) will also offer digital literacy classes to a select group of participants in the pilot to also help increase broadband adoption rates. Xchange is also working with the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) to provide these Lifeline broadband discounts in a group of NYCHA developments located in Brooklyn.

Xchange is thankful to all of its partners, and the myriad of area elected officials who have helped support its participation in the pilot program, including State Senator Daniel Squadron and Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer.

Xchange Telecom, started in 2002, is a regional Competitive Local Exchange Carrier (CLEC) serving the New York region. As a fully interconnected CLEC with state of the art facilities and interconnects to most major carriers and data providers, we provide the personal attention and customized solutions required by the most discriminating of customers. Our corporate culture and experience allows us to service even the smallest business with a personal relationship while scaling to provide enterprise level telecommunications solutions for the largest corporations.

Thousands of small, medium and enterprise sized business customers throughout the metropolitan area rely on Xchange Telecom's state of the art network for the highest quality, personalized service and exceptional value.

• Cutting edge and secure data facilities, staffed by skilled engineers 24/7/365 with a 99.999% uptime rate
• Data Center which is directly connected to over 20 transport providers, connected to all major telecommunications hubs in the metropolitan area

Xchange’s WiMax Network - Skywire

Over the past 12 months, Xchange has been developing a 4G wireless network in NYC, to provide voice and data solutions, and Xchange is deploying a fixed wireless network called Skywire around Brooklyn, NY. Xchange is in the process of deploying initial base stations on rooftops and has just launched its pilot program.

Simultaneously, Xchange is deploying a point-tomultipoint, business grade network in the Brooklyn area. Xchange’s network will allow business to receive SLAlevel data connections – something many businesses in Brooklyn were not able to get until now due to the lack of infrastructure.