For some, switching out equipment from the cable company is simply a sign of progress. For others in the Lehigh Valley, it could mean uprooting several years worth of wiring around the house — something they may need to do soon, even though they may not want to.
A reader from Whitehall Township reached out to The Morning Call after receiving notice that he must remove his TV from its coaxial cable hookup to new equipment featuring a fiber optic connection.
“This is not what many customers want and many TVs will need to be replaced because they do not have HDMI inputs for [Internet Protocol Television],” he wrote. He added that switching to a different provider is not an option because of his location.
“I have limited access to other carriers and must stay with Astound but do not want IPTV, as this will not work well with all the other tablets, etc. in my household interfering with the TV’s connection,” the reader wrote. “This is why I like a separated coaxial cable connection.”
Astound spokesperson Ann Murphy said about 65% of its Valley customers use the older equipment and they must upgrade.
Can a customer keep that older cable connection? The answer is no for a simple reason.
“It won’t work,” she said.
Astound — which was formerly RCN and, before that, Twin County Cable — is investing $81 million to upgrade its fiber optic network in Pennsylvania. In the Lehigh Valley, Astound said in July that it will spend $39 million to upgrade 4,200 miles of fiber optic cable that serves 262,000 homes and 23,000 businesses.
It’s not just Astound customers that are facing the switch in the competitive Lehigh Valley telecommunications market. Service Electric Cable TV, Comcast/Xfinity and Verizon Fios are among those also expanding their fiber optic networks.
Here are some things to know about the transition:
What is the difference between cable and fiber optic?
The primary difference between fiber optic and cable internet is the physical pathways (wired or wireless) that carry data signals between devices used for data transmission.
Fiber internet uses optical fiber cables made of ultra-thin glass fibers that transmit data as pulses of laser light.
Cable internet uses copper wires — coaxial cables — and electric signals to send data.
Astound said this method of data communication is vulnerable to network congestion, frequency interference by other electronic devices, loss of signal strength over long distances and damage from unfavorable weather events.
Why are the upgrades being made?
Simply, Astound is keeping up with technology. It wants customers to have equipment that is compatible with the newest technology.
The oldest TV equipment is not compatible with the updated network, and coaxial cable will soon be obsolete for TV service. After the shutdown date, no channels will be available via the older equipment.
Astound has sent notices about the changes to customers via mail, email and phone calls, Murphy said, and new equipment has been sent out free of charge.
Customers receive instructions on installing the new equipment, though a company technician also will come to the residence free of charge. A return label that includes postage will also be provided for older equipment to be returned to Astound.
As for the internet, customers can continue to use the same modems and will still have the same speeds they are subscribed to. There is an upgrade available for faster speeds.
How long will it take?
Murphy said Astound, which also has customers from New England to the West Coast, is currently focused on the Lehigh Valley.
The upgrades will continue through 2026.
