YOUNGSTOWN Companies, agency contend with Net lack

A New York company expects to offer high-speed Internet access to downtown users.
By DON SHILLING
VINDICATOR BUSINESS EDITOR
YOUNGSTOWN -- Some downtown businesses and agencies are frustrated that they lost their high-speed Internet access nearly two months ago and haven't been able to replace it.
Vectris, a Texas-based company, stopped serving Youngstown and most of its other markets Jan. 31 after it filed for bankruptcy protection.
"It's been a problem," said Ray McAtee, director of the Mahoning-Columbiana Training Association.
MCTA and the city's Community Development Agency, both located in the city hall annex on Front Street, have been unable so far to replace the high-speed service they lost.
Some downtown businesses also have been affected, said officials of Choice One Communications, which is working to get its high-speed service up and running in Youngstown.
"It's really put a number of people in a precarious situation," said Bob Scott, general manager of Choice One's Akron-Youngstown division.
Service: Vectris began providing MCTA and the city agency with DSL service in October. DSL uses technology to deliver high-speed access over standard phone lines.
McAtee said MCTA needed high-speed access because the state adopted new reporting procedures. After Vectris pulled out of Youngstown, the agency sent staff to the South Avenue office of the department of job and family services to make required filings.
The state relies on e-mail to relay some information to training agencies, so McAtee is receiving that information at home. Other information is supposed to be pulled off Web sites, but McAtee has the state mailing the information. The agency has one line with dial-up Internet access, but that is dedicated to another use.
Pete Evanovitz, controller of the Community Development Agency, said the agency needs high-speed access because it regularly uses the Internet to communicate with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. It has been using a normal dial-up line.
"It's painstakingly slow without DSL," he said.
Replacement: He said the agency had hoped to use Ameritech's DSL service but that Ameritech officials canceled a meeting at the last minute.
"That rubbed everyone the wrong way, so we are looking elsewhere," he said.
The agency intends to use Time Warner's Road Runner service, which uses cable lines, he said. The agency is waiting for Time Warner to connect the annex with city hall, which already has Road Runner.
Steve Kristan, Ameritech's director of external affairs in the Youngstown area, said he wasn't aware that any downtown agencies or businesses were having DSL problems.
McAtee said he was told by Ameritech that it couldn't provide his office with DSL service. Ameritech could provide a T1 line, which has more capacity than a DSL line but is much more expensive, he said.
Kristan said he thought Ameritech could provide DSL throughout downtown but added that there could be an issue with the annex that would prevent Ameritech from providing the service.
McAtee also said he has been frustrated that no other company has been able to provide DSL.
Scott said Choice One has been working on installing necessary equipment and expects to begin providing the service in the next week or two.
The Rochester, N.Y.-based company has been providing telephone service for area businesses.
Ythan Lax, the company's director of corporate communications, said DSL providers that have been having financial difficulties are those that are providing data services only.
Although services such as DSL gain the most attention, it is regular telephone service that pays most of the bills, he said. Choice One, which serves only business customers, receives about 90 percent of its revenues from voice services, he said.