PEABODY — RCN, the city’s new cable TV/high-speed internet and telephone service provider, may have only started its build-out in late 2019, but the cable company is already making huge gains in luring customers away from Comcast.
Peabody Mayor Edward Bettencourt announced during his inauguration address on Monday night that, to date, approximately 10 percent of Peabody subscribers are now customers of RCN. He also said he expects to reach full capacity by January of 2021. He said the decision to grant a franchise license to RCN “ushers in a new era of competition intended to benefit residents and businesses alike.
“RCN’s infrastructure build-out started back in the fall as early as September or October, but we agree that 10 percent is impressive,” said Mayor’s Chief of Staff Christopher Ryder. “In terms of door to door, the RCN representatives started back in November/December having announced their presence with the Police Department and obtaining relevant permits.”
Bettencourt last year announced RCN has established an exclusive web presence for Peabody residents and businesses at rcn.com/Peabody.
The web page provides prospective customers with an opportunity to sign up for the company’s priority list and features a link to existing RCN bundled service packages. The city previously set up a dedicated email address and telephone line for RCN inquiries which will remain in operation during the RCN buildout.
Residents or business owners are encouraged to email their questions or concerns to [email protected] or call 978-538-5910. In either case, dedicated personnel will respond to inquiries promptly.
Last June, the mayor granted a franchise license to RCN to offer its cable TV and high-speed Internet services in Peabody. The agreement ended Comcast’s 40-year monopoly of cable TV service in the city.
In 2018, Comcast served 17,461 customers of the city’s more than 20,000 households, according to the Department of Telecommunication and Cable.
RCN services major metropolitan regions around the country including Boston, Washington, D.C., New York and Chicago. Peabody is the 20th community in Massachusetts to be served by RCN.
“There is a lot of excitement about RCN coming here to compete head to head with Comcast,” Bettencourt said. “My office is getting a lot of calls with specific questions about the build-out and timeframes for service and we want to respond to each one of them. This new RCN/Peabody web page means that we are getting close to the first residential service rollout and that it’s full speed ahead.”
