Richmond Telephone and Richmond NetWorx combined, employ 15 today.They have moved to the Howard Building on Fenn Street, in Pittsfield. Richmond Telephone had four employees when Proper joined the company. They want to be sure Richmond NetWorx does not grow too big too fast, Proper said, but they are doing well. Richmond NetWorx promises to stay regional, to keep the feel of the company with one service man who knows his customers’ first names and prides himself on same-day service, and a president customers can stop on the street if they have questions. “When you call, you get a person,†she said, not a recording “for customer service, press one.†Richmond has, she said, better rates and higher quality customer service. Proper said Richmond NetWorx has limited resources, both financial and human, compared to behemoths like Verizon and Bell — at Richmond, everyone has to know a little bit of everything. They will switch over entirely to their own equipment in March of this year. They have been putting in their own, though. They began under resale, leasing Verizon’s equipment at a discount. They added a Competitive Local Exchange Carrier (CLEC). The Richmond Independent Local Exchange Carrier (ILEC) did so. The state’s Telecommunications Act of 1996 aimed to enhance competition: it allowed small companies to expand, using their competitors’ networks at discounted rates. They are giving the Berkshires a choice in their phone service, Proper said, maybe for the first time. Richmond NetWorx competes with Verizon in Pittsfield, North Adams, Great Barrington and the surrounding communities. Under Proper’s guidance, and with the help of Massachusetts’ recent deregulation of telephone services, Richmond Telephone launched Richmond NetWorx in March, 2000. Richmond Telephone has provided service to the town of Richmond for 98 years. This Berkshire-based company is branching out. 12:00AM / Wednesday, FebruPrint Story | Email StoryThere are maybe 126 independent telephone companies left in the United States, said Christa Proper, the general manager of Richmond Telephone and Richmond NetWorx.
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