FTTH Council Crowns EATEL
The Fiber to the Home (FTTH) Council presented its annual
North American Star Award to South Louisiana-based service
provider EATEL.
In business through its subsidiary East Ascension Telephone
Company since 1935, EATEL began deploying fiber to homes
in 2004. The company brings local and long distance phone,
television and high-speed Internet services to more than 30,000
customers. As of late July, EATEL was offering 58 channels in
high definition (HD).
“EATEL is recognized by industry professionals for the high
level of their employees’ technical expertise and the company’s
level of professionalism,” FTTH Council board member Patrick
Sims said at the FTTH Conference award presentation in late
September in Houston.
Sims also mentioned how the company “repeatedly repaired
and rebuilt their network” after damage from Hurricanes Katrina,
Ruth and Gusav.
“Cox will be
a formidable
competitor,” Robert Burgess, EATEL
”Ferocious weapon”
EATEL has more than 300 employees, a third of whom work in
the company’s Yellow Pages division.
Accepting the award was EATEL President and COO Robert
Burgess, who said FTTH technology gave his company the means
to compete against triple-play provider Cox Communications.
Burgess said EATEL’s use of fiber optics allowed the regional
telco to create “as much of a fortress as is humanly possible.”
“It’s simple and only one word: Survival,” Burgess said, describing the impact of EATEL’s use of fiber optics. “It has been a
most ferocious weapon. I think that Cox would agree, given our
market share.”
Burgess declined to detail that share, but referred to a
marketing message saying that EATEL’s broadband service is
“preferred four-to-one.”
The Louisiana native and self-described ‘telephone man‘
devoted most of his acceptance remarks to a story about
the American flag and a disabled U.S. Marine veteran, saying the sudden death of an assistant last year has prompted
him to speak from the heart. His comments underscored a
fighting spirit.
“Cox will be a formidable competitor,” Burgess said, in a
follow up interview.
Competition and adversity may have raised the bar on both sides.
Communications Technology recognized Cox Greater Louisiana as
a top tier system last year, noting its similar resilience in overcoming
the natural disasters that have afflicted the region.
Other awards, previous winners
Recent recipients of the FTTH Council Star Award include
Broadband Properties Magazine (2008); Michael Render, CEO
and president of research firm Render Vanderslice (2007); Washington lawyer Tom Cohen (2006); and Fort Wayne, IN, Mayor
Graham Richard (2005).
This year the Council gave its Chairman‘s Award to Verizon.
Previous recipients include Texas-based GVTC and Bristol Tennessee Essential Services (BTES) CEO Michael Browder (both
in 2008); Jim Farmer, CTO of Wave7 Optics (now Enablence)
(2007); the State of Texas (2006); and Lafayette City-Parish, LA,
Mayor Joey Durel (2005).
—Jonathan Tombes
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