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08/21/2017

Internet is about to get better in Wayne County

The average media consumer in Wooster rarely considers the magic that allows them to stream, game, communicate and binge watch favorite shows. If the modem cuts out or annoying buffering interrupts an electronic moment, we may question what went wrong, but most of the time we take our communications system for granted. 

MCTV, the only cable provider in Wooster, has evolved into a competitive and forward-thinking broadband service provider. In 1965 a company named Clear Picture erected the first coaxial cable lines that course through Wooster neighborhoods. Then in 1978 the local company was purchased by the Massillon Cable Company and later adopted the name MCTV to reflect its range of telecommunications products.

MCTV recently launched Excellerate, which will bring fiber optic cable directly to area homes. This is the newest fiber-to-the-home internet technology found anywhere in the country. As its name implies, the excellent speed rates will keep local homes and businesses ahead of the game, whatever their needs.  

According to Robert Gessner, president of MCTV, fiber optic lines from the street to a home or business will be paired with a Passive Optical Network, which will allow for the same download and upload speeds. This means heavy internet users will have a smoother streaming experience when gaming and surfing, a welcome improvement for heavy internet users and gamers.

Gessner explained that internet speed depends on how much data the infrastructure can handle. The traditional copper wires used by DSL and cable internet were originally intended to transmit voice only, so they were limited in the amount of data they could handle.

According to Gessner, the local cable system has been rebuilt twice since its inception. Coaxial cable installed in the 1960s was replaced in the mid-1980s and again in the mid-‘90s. Gessner said MCTV created a hybrid system in the '90s that included fiber optic cable, allowing for stronger signals to travel greater distances. This also meant they could offer broadband to outlying county areas. 

The lines that once exclusively delivered cable television to Wooster are a part of the technological landscape. Cable hangs beneath electrical lines on the utility poles. It sources advanced home and business technology.

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