West Point company buys Opelika’s OPS ONE
Published 6:34 pm Thursday, October 18, 2018
WEST POINT —In an agreement announced Tuesday, the City of Opelika will now benefit from West Point-based Point Broadband’s fiber-fed internet service.
Once the $14.1 million transaction closes on Nov. 8, Point Broadband will own all fiber telecommunication assets and operations originally set up by Opelika’s OPS ONE. All OPS ONE employees will continue to work for the company with the same positions and salaries, according to Point Broadband CEO Todd Holt.
“We are super excited about this Opelika transaction,” Holt said in a video detailing the deal. “This is our home. This is where many of our employees live, play, worship and shop.”
According to a release, OPS ONE was created by Opelika in 2012 “to provide the businesses and residences in its municipal city limits with competitive internet, voice and video services.”
Opelika Mayor Gary Fuller explained in a statement how OPS ONE was initially created for that competition, forcing the competitors to adjust pricing and customer service accordingly.
“The fiber network we built and operate has allowed us to achieve our goal of bringing the much needed and effective competitive telecom services to our community,” Fuller said. “The fiber project also facilitated the deployment of a smart electrical grid to provide more efficient power services to the businesses and homes in Opelika. We believe now is the right time to transition the telecommunication assets away from the city and into the hands of an experienced, local telecommunications company with a long history of providing competitive and innovative telecom and fiber services to cities similar to Opelika.”
Opelika’s telecommunications service finished fiscal year 2017 with a $1.12 million deficit, and reported an overall net position of negative $13.424 million, a major financial concern that will be alleviated by Point Broadband’s purchase, according to City Controller Cindy Boyd.
When the purchase completes in a few weeks, Point Broadband will take over all OPS ONE operations in the same location in Opelika.
