BendBroadband acquires Sunriver-area cable system
BendBroadband announced Wednesday it has agreed to purchase the Chambers Cable System, which serves Sunriver, Crosswater and surrounding areas.
The transaction, expected to close July 31, “means customers in the Chambers Cable service area will soon have access to the same technologically advanced, integrated services that BendBroadband provides in other areas,” the company said in a news release announcing the acquisition.
“We are pleased that we could put this deal together to bring Sunriver into BendBroadband’s larger Central Oregon footprint,” said Amy Tykeson, CEO of BendBroadband.
“Once the technology is upgraded, homeowners and businesses can expect the same high quality-service we are known for in the region,” Tykeson said. “The BendBroadband team looks forward to welcoming Sunriver-area customers to our company.
“We will work closely with the Sunriver Owners Association and the resort while we complete the improvements over the next 14 months. Chambers Cable employees will join us at BendBroadband,” she added,
“Today’s announcement is an important step toward the next-generation communications and entertainment system that the community deserves. BendBroadband’s plans align very well with the long-term vision that Chambers Cable and Sunriver have been working toward,” said Scott Chambers, CEO of Chambers Communications.
Along with the purchase of the company, BendBroadband said it will spearhead a major technological upgrade to the Sunriver area, providing a new wave of technical capability to residents and visitors alike.
As upgrading occurs, Chambers Cable residential and business customers will be migrated to BendBroadband’s digital cable TV service and Internet offerings.
These include high performance Internet (up to 100Mbps), Alpha whole-home DVR, On Demand programming, 107 HD channels and bendbroadband2go TV Everywhere. Residents and businesses will also have access to BendBroadband’s high-reliability, full-featured phone service. Business services include hosted PBX, T-1/PRI and 1Gbps Optical Ethernet.
“We are extremely pleased about BendBroadband’s acquisition of Chambers Cable of Sunriver and what it means for the community of Sunriver,” said Bill Peck, General Manager of Sunriver Owners Association.
“In this ever-changing technological age it’s not only important to have a company that can provide the bandwidth, Internet speeds and cable TV channels that meet the present needs; but one that is also committed to staying ahead of the technological curve as well,” Peck said. “To that end, BendBroadband affords Sunriver just such an arrangement.”
“Connecting Sunriver to a broad spectrum of services through a local and well respected service provider is just one more positive step toward maintaining Sunriver as a premier residential and resort community,” added Peck.
BendBroadband’s Vice President of Technology, Wade Holmes, reports construction is set to begin as soon as possible.
“We have design and validation steps to perform before breaking ground, and we’ll start by targeting opportunities that can provide immediate benefit to the highest number of customers,” Holmes said, adding that the construction will take place over 14 months and be divided into five phases.
Chambers Cable customer care and installation personnel will join BendBroadband, with the Sunriver office remaining open during the transition of service.
Questions concerning the Chambers Cable acquisition should be directed to the BendBroadband office at 541-382-5551. Customers in the Sunriver area are asked to continue to contact the Sunriver office for change of service, technical support and billing assistance. Information about BendBroadband’s service offerings can be found at www.bendbroadband.com.
About BendBroadband
BendBroadband is a family-owned, local company serving Central Oregon since 1955. A leader in the cable and broadband sectors, the company offers an extensive range of broadband, fiber connectivity, cable television and telephone services for commercial and residential customers. Central Oregon facilities include more than 1500 miles of fiber and coax infrastructure and wireless facilities which cover all Central Oregon communities. Services include metropolitan optical Ethernet, T-1/PRI and hosted PBX services. High-speed Internet options provide speeds up to 100 Mbps, with 1 GigE offerings available. The company serves rural customers over a 4G LTE fixed-wireless network, one of a few such broadband networks in the nation. In 2011, the company opened the BendBroadband Vault, a Tier III, SSAE 16, LEED Gold-certified data center with hosted storage for primary site and disaster recovery needs, equipment colocation and managed services.
BendBroadband was among the first companies in the United States to convert to a 100% digital video signal and offers a spectrum of video services, including multi-room DVR and TV Everywhere service to tablets and mobile devices. BendBroadband focuses its corporate contributions and sponsorship efforts on youth, and by supporting an array of arts and entertainment in Central Oregon. In the community, BendBroadband provides extensive local sports coverage, civic programming and local features created and produced by COTV, channel 11 and 611.
