Full Channel

i3 Broadband is an American pay television and telecommunications provider set in Rhode Island. It is the third-largest [1] cable television and Internet service provider in the state. Its wired communications network is available to the approximately 50,000 residents of Bristol County, Rhode Island.[2] i3 Broadband's main office is at 57 Everett Street in Warren, Rhode Island, U.S.[3][4]

i3 Broadband, Inc.
IndustryTelecommunications
Founded1965
Founders
John Donofrio, Hilda Donofrio
Headquarters57 Everett Street
Warren, RI 02885
United States
ProductsCable television, Broadband Internet, Digital telephony
Number of employees
20+ (2013)
Websitewww.i3broadband.com
www.cwbginvestors.com

History

In 1965, John Donofrio, a former broadcast engineer and general manager at WPFM (now WLVO) in Providence and sales executive at Charles River Broadcasting in Boston, founded Full-Channel TV, Inc.[5] upon learning of the potential success of Community Antenna Television. Later that year, Donofrio's company applied for and was awarded the first cable television franchise in Rhode Island after his application was approved by the City of East Providence.[6] However, before Full Channel began construction of a system in East Providence, cable television franchising authority was transferred away from local municipalities to the Rhode Island Public Utilities Commission. In 1974, Full Channel was among the nine original cable franchises awarded by the PUC and was ultimately assigned to the state's CATV Service Area 5, Bristol County, Rhode Island. It would not be until 1982 that legal wrangling would allow for the original franchisees to begin building their systems.[4]

In 1982, Full Channel hired a workforce, opened a local business office and began building its cable system. In the winter of 1983, the company's first cable television subscriber was connected. The company remained the only cable provider in Bristol County until 2001 when Cox Communications overbuilt Full Channel as part of its bid to service the entire state of Rhode Island.[7] Today, i3 Broadband competes with various TV, Internet and phone offerings from Cox, Verizon Communications, DirecTV and Dish Network. Since the entry of these competitors to the market, i3 Broadband has presumably lost some of its customer base, however the actual number of subscribers each company serves is not publicly available.

From Donofrio's death in 2004 until 2018, his daughter Linda Jane Maaia, son-in-law William Maaia and grandson Levi C. Maaia ran the company[8][9] until its sale to CountryWide Broadband for an undisclosed price.[10]

  • In 1983 Full Channel became the first cable operator in Rhode Island to deploy analog addressable set-top converters allowing customers to watch pay-per-view events and premium networks
  • In 2001 Full Channel begins offering cable modem Internet service
  • In 2002 Full Channel begins offering digital TV
  • In 2003 Full Channel completes its hybrid fiber-coax and digital system upgrades
  • In 2004 Full Channel begins offering local telephone service as a Verizon reseller
  • In 2004 After the death of company founder and president John Donofrio, Linda Jane Maaia takes over operations of the company
  • In 2008 The company launches its GreenLink wind energy program
  • In 2009 CableFAX awards Full Channel its Top Operator award for community service
  • In 2011 Full Channel becomes the fourth U.S. cable system to offer Al Jazeera English in its lineup[11]
  • In 2011 Full Channel begins offering residential Digital Phone services
  • In 2013 Full Channel upgrades its network to DOCSIS 3.0 broadband Internet service[12]
  • In 2013 Full Channel launches TV Everywhere platform for on-demand, online viewing of cable TV networks [13]
  • In 2014 Full Channel co-founder and chairwoman Hilda Donofrio passes away[14]
  • In 2014 Full Channel begins offering Digital Phone services for businesses
  • In 2016 Full Channel retired its analog Expanded TV lineup in favor of all digital transmission
  • In 2017 Full Channel announced its intentions to preserve its strict network neutrality and consumer privacy policies despite FCC deregulation of internet service providers.[15]
  • In 2018 Full Channel was acquired by CountryWide Broadband [16]
  • In 2019, Full Channel changes their name to i3 Broadband.

Services

i3 Broadband TV

i3 Broadband's most widely distributed service is Limited TV. This tier provides local broadcast signals and local cable access channels to all TV sets, both analog and digital. Expanded TV and digital tiers are also available, which add high-definition and specialty services like DVR.[17] The company also airs the three Rhode Island Statewide Interconnect channels, as well as two local public and government access channels for the towns of Barrington, Warren and Bristol, Rhode Island.[18] The company does not presently offer video on demand services.

i3 Broadband High-Speed Internet

i3 Broadband offers at least three levels of residential Internet service in addition to two levels of business Internet tiers using DOCSIS 3.0 technology.[12] Both business and residential service classes are divided into tiers. The fastest DOCSIS offering is the residential Lightning 320 tier, which provides 320 Mbit/s download. The company also offers enterprise level fiber-optic Internet circuits to larger businesses and institutions.[19]

i3 Broadband Digital Phone

i3 Broadband offers two residential calling plans and two business calling plans with a variety of features. Silver Plan includes some features and local calling. Gold Plan includes all features and nationwide calling.[20]

In 2008 Full Channel partnered with People's Power and Light – a 501(c)(3) – to deliver GreenLink, Full Channel’s renewable energy initiative. The company claims this is the first such initiative in the cable industry. Customers who elect to participate in the program ensure that the energy used to power their broadband connection comes from wind power. This contribution goes directly to People's Power and Light's wind projects in New England, which work with National Grid plc to purchase more wind power.

In 2009 CableFAX awarded Full Channel its Top Operator award for community service for its efforts with GreenLink and other community-based activities.[21]

References
  1. "Rhode Island PUC". Retrieved 17 October 2011.
  2. "U.S. Census website". Retrieved 17 October 2011.
  3. "Contact Full Channel". Retrieved 17 October 2011.
  4. "John Donofrio; owner of Full Channel and a pioneer in cable TV". The Providence Journal. August 28, 2004. Retrieved 17 October 2011. (dead link)
  5. "Full Channel Summary Screen". State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations Office of the Secretary of State.
  6. "Cox Plots Overbuild of Tiny R.I. System". Multichannel News.
  7. "Cable TV exec never envisioned herself at helm". PBN.com. Archived from the original on 2009-01-07. Retrieved 2012-02-27.
  8. "Our Story". Full Channel. Retrieved 29 July 2012.
  9. "David and Goliath cable fight looms". PBN.com.
  10. "CountryWide Broadband Group buys RI's Full Channel Cable". Lightwave. 16 January 2018. Retrieved 30 January 2018.
  11. "Full-Channel adds three cable networks to line-up". Retrieved 17 October 2011.
  12. "Open Internet Disclosire". Full Channel.
  13. "TV Everywhere". Full Channel. Retrieved 28 February 2014.
  14. "Full Channel's Hilda Donofrio Dies at 87". Broadcasting & Cable.
  15. "We're serious about your privacy". Full Channel Community.
  16. "CountryWide Broadband To Acquire Full Channel, Enhance Service Offerings". Yahoo Finance. 3 October 2017. Retrieved 13 December 2017.
  17. "Pricing". Full Channel. dead link
  18. "TV". Full Channel. dead link
  19. "High-Speed Internet". Full Channel.
  20. "Digital Phone". Full Channel. Retrieved 29 July 2014.
  21. "Full Channel recognized for green efforts". Archived from the original on 5 February 2013. Retrieved 2 July 2012.
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