Internet cable service rollout slowed down

by Karen E. Culp

SBJ Staff

Springfield's cable customers will have to wait a little longer to receive Internet access through their cable system.

The @Home system, which AT&T Cable Services (formerly TCI) will offer locally, will not be online until October, said Deborah Seidel, regional director of communications and public affairs for AT&T Cable Services.

"We've had difficulty getting equipment from the manufacturer, so we've had to push back the rollout date from the original, Sept. 30 date, to mid- to late October," Seidel said.

The service will allow customers to use a rented cable modem to access the Internet through their cable wire, rather than through a phone line. The service will cost $39.95 a month, which includes the rental of the special cable modem, Seidel said.

AT&T Cable Services will begin offering the service to one-third of its cable customers in Springfield, focusing on those in the southeast portion of town, Seidel said.

Right now, the company is offering the service to customers in St. Louis, and it has a subscriber list of 23 @Home customers there. The company will add another 23 soon, Seidel said, but is moving in small increments because of the lack of equipment available.

"Right now, it's an availability issue