BroadbandVI Problem

No problem here on Estate Orange Grove STX.

bbvi is so variable and frustrating at time.

traffic, weather, equipment, lack of real highspeed service [unless you overpay], lack of competition,
and the economy of scale which does't exist here.

Live in Cane Bay -- We are on Broadband VI and noticed a slow down on internet speed starting several days ago. Same thing for Gentle Winds as that complex is also on Broadband VI.. The slow down seems to conincide with the recent weekend stormy weather. In fact BBVI's tower on Blue Mountain (Mon Bijou) was hit and taken out by a lightning strike this past Saturday @ 12:30pm. So internet service was not available until about 2:30pm Sunday pm for that tower. Since then internet service comes & goes and when we do have it --it is slower than normal. I'm sure if you call BBVI they will tell you exactly the reason for the recent slower internet speed.

Jumbie -STX

Thanks for the suggestion Jumbie, but I only posted my question here because I tried their STT and STX numbers and got an answering machine during normal business hours. I read about the Blue Mountain issue after I started this thread, and that may indeed be part of the problem.

Service has been way below par since Sat. We got through to the STX office one time but know from past experience if there is a major problem the phone is always busy.

I use dial up as a back up

I don't have BB for my internet because I use satellite for my connection, but hear mostly good things about them. These recent storms have obviously wreaked some havoc with the access points. I'm sure they are working hard to get the systems back in working order.

For those that NEED internet you should have a backup connection.

Lightning damage at:
Blue Mtn
Judiths Fancy
Cotton Valley
Sandy Point
and this morning....St. George Hill

We are working as fast as possible to restore service

That's an amazing list and I feel for bbvi.

That said, considering ATT service and equipment survived the same storm. Hopefully upgrades in protection and redundancy will be made.

With this weather it is really difficult to get out there and fix stuff. I'm developing a backlog with my tasks.

Redundancy would be great. So would the advertised speed, full time not just a burst rate.

But anyway, a shout out to everyone who is out there dealing with all these issues.

tropical rain showers?, we got like 3 inches of rain out east STX, probably 2+. i hope my driveway is still there when I get home

As of 4pm Tuesday: Main feed from Global Crossing is back online, as is St. George and Judiths Fancy.
Blue will be on limited bandwidth until tomorrow.
Cotton Valley and points east will be down until tomorrow morning (rain and lightning willing)
Sandy Pt and parts of Fsted the same.
The copper ground wires were cut and stolen at the Sandy Pt and Red Hook towers.....causing the damage :-X:X(td)

Just got up from a short nap and was quite pleased to find our service (East End A on STX) to be restored to its previous speed.

Hey, St Croix, you're entitled to your own, and all, but what sense does it make to compare ATT, a multinational publicly traded corporation with BBVI, local guys working hard and making good? I gave up my ATT internet svc to switch to bbvi and I've been very pleased. And btw, my att phone drops a call minimum once a week, often once a day. BBVI hiccups are FAR rarer.

Huge props to BBVI who, with just a few employees and minimal capital have provided the most efficient, responsive and reliable infrastructure in the VI---quite possibly in the entire Caribbean.

Complainers, check this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8r1CZTLk-Gk and consider yourself dope-slapped.

I've been up to the top of Blue Mtn. It is largely unsecured. Gates were open. You could walk right up to the tower. I couldn't help but think any terrorist or malcontent could really do some damage with a handgun. I thought about NOT posting this, but given the loss of the copper up there and the problems which have ensued, I hope they do something before something worse happens.

Just to be clear, I am not complaining about BBVI. I have been very pleased with their (and Ackley's) service for several years. I only posted here because I could not reach BBVI to ascertain whether my issues are specific to me, or a larger problem that others are experiencing. I appreciate the updates MM, and after a rocky day am noticing improvements this evening. And may the thieving $hit$ who stole the copper ground wires rot in he11.

So RKS, you are saying we should be happy with poor service as long as we are supporting the local business?

The vast majority of Virgin Islanders seem inexplicably satisfied with horrific service from WAPA and Innovative, yet any hiccup in BBVI always brings out a chorus of 'YEAH, BOO, SUCKS!" on this forum. I'm merely suggesting that people compare services fairly. Over the last 5 days I've spent a fair amount of time grinding away on the generator due to the lightning storms while my BBVI service has continued almost without interruption.

Dntw8up, I wasn't singling you out at all...I was responding to the negative comments by others.

I cannot imagine anyone is satisfied with WAPA or Innovative, that statement is ludicrous; I'm saying our infrastructure is unreliable.

Everyone is aware we get storms, lightening, high winds,etc--obviously you are prepared, you have a generator. Why doesn't broadband take steps for this?

We all know how antiquated WAPA is but BBVI is a new company.

Ludicrous? How many threads have been started in the last 5 days of storms about WAPA outages? There are 2 discussions about BBVI. Further, you exonerate WAPA on the basis that they are "antiquated" despite their extortionate rates, mismanagement and history of strong-arming competition. Now THAT'S ludicrous.

I cannot imagine anyone is satisfied with WAPA or Innovative, that statement is ludicrous; I'm saying our infrastructure is unreliable.

Everyone is aware we get storms, lightening, high winds,etc--obviously you are prepared, you have a generator. Why doesn't broadband take steps for this?

We all know how antiquated WAPA is but BBVI is a new company.

Broadband VI is a 7 year old company born out of the frustration of no high-speed Internet availability at our homes. We have invested $$ in grounding, surge suppression, generators, redundant 48 volt power supplies, even solar power (soon come to Coral Bay). This lightning storm was brutal / amazing. Apparently we are not the only ones to have suffered damage.

We are almost back to normal. Crews are working at Sandy Pt, Blue Mtn, Cotton Valley and Red Hook as I type.

We live near Blue Mountain and saw you working by floodlight on Saturday night.

AT&T did not escape unscathed. On STX their 2G transmitter on Mt Welcome has been out since Monday. WAPA power to all the towers was also cut. This was a majot storm and caused more disruptions than Omar.

Jim

Wow ..by tone of some you'd swear THEY got struck by lightning!

All I know is my electricity stayed on but my bbvi has been out four days. It fairly suggests they were unprepared or have equipment (or other) issues which up in the states would be looked into by a licensing authority to HELP both the company and its customers avoid a repeat.

Especially given the recent Prosser debacle and on-going concerns about WAPA, and the continuing unique conditions of being on an island, it would be prudent and fair to request an independent evaluation.

I think our main problem down here is that Prosser raped the islands for years. In the states cheap Internet is usually available through your phone or cable company. Not here. The infrastructure of our cable and phone company is 1980's - 1990's. So we have Broad Band VI, and while they are the best available in the VI, they would be considered third rate in the states.

It's like everything here in the VI, we accept third rate to live in paradise.

My parents live in Florida and pay $39.95 per month for reliable 6 Mbps service through Cox Cable. I pay $99.95 per month for third rate 1 Mbps service from BBVI. But we love it here, right?

What licensing authority? And where, exactly, is there a precedent for the expectation that any territorial government oversight would help anyone or anything here? Why would you suggest holding BBVI to a higher standard than any other infrastructure service in the territory? If you don't like BBVI then hire the services of a competitor. If you prefer stateside service, go back to the states.