Coronado Shores Condominium Association #6

High Speed Internet Access

"AVAILABLE NOW"

REPORT OF THE SHORES HIGH SPEED ELECTRONIC ACCESS
SUBCOMMITTEE
July 27, 1999

At the request of the Shores Cable TV Committee Robert Eldridge, Chairman, a three-person subcommittee was formed to investigate alternatives for bringing certain new technologies such as HDTV and High Speed Internet Access to the Shores. Many of the buildings associations have expressed the belief that future values of the Shores units will be increased by offering such services to the generation that has grown up with computers and advanced TV systems in their homes and offices.

Those selected to serve on the subcommittee were Jamie Darnell Head ofShores Landscape and Recreation Russ Robelen of Las Palmas and Ed Sack of
La Perla. Russ and Ed have many years of experience in electronics and
remain active in the high technology field today.

There are essentially five alternatives for providing advanced electronic access to the Shores - two-way cable, fiber satellite, wireless and the existing telephone lines. Each of these technologies/services has advantages and disadvantages.

As all are aware, we have a wide spectrum in the owner and occupant demographics at the Shores. We have full time owner/occupants, we have part time owner/occupants, we have units that are most often rented and we have units that are held strictly as investment properties. Some occupants live on the computer" and others wouldn't touch the things."

The view of the subcommittee was that in the short term, an alternative that lets each owner/occupant decide whether high speed electronic service is desirable for him/her was preferable to trying to get a consensus on an overall "campus" installation which might result in an assessment or increase in monthly rates for those who had little or no interest in the new services. Yes, sooner or later, the Shores will probably have to "bite the bullet" and fund an overall installation -probably a fiber/cable combo - but the subcommittee felt that the time was not yet right for such an undertaking.

Under these circumstances, the subcommittee concluded that a service that let's each individual decide to subscribe or not, and uses existing lines, is the best alternative. Fortunately there is such a service now available in Coronado - it is called "DSL." Basically, DSL uses the existing telephone lines along with a special terminal (modem) installed in the Shores unit to increase the speed of internet access over conventional dial-up connections by a factor of between ten and twenty depending upon the type of service to which the user subscribes.

The subcommittee contacted those companies who offer DSL service in the San Diego area. The group also spoke with the manufacturers of the special terminal units that must be installed in each apartment. We found a local company, Internet Express (5449 Morehouse Drive, San Diego, 92129 Phone 619.623.0292) to be very responsive. Their President, COO and an Account Executive all met with the subcommittee and agreed to make pilot installations in both La Perla and Las Palmas to demonstrate the service. Those installations are now complete and are operating very well. For those who are familiar with the Internet, in the La Perla installation, a file that used to take seven minutes to download now downloads in about 20 seconds.

Internet Express has offered to waive the cost of the DSL terminal and installation for Shores owners/occupants who sign a 24 month contract for (at least) the minimum "level of service," by September 15,1999. In case you are wondering if that is a "good deal" the usual charge for the modem is $299.00 and the usual charge for the installation is an additional $225.00. That is a saving of $524.00 for Shores occupants if you act now!

The "level of service" with Internet Express that is probably most desirable for most Shores units costs $59.00 per month. Please note, however, that you will probably be able to discontinue your second regular telephone line (the one you use for your Internet access) as well as eliminate your present Internet Service Provider monthly bill (Internet Express becomes your ISP) so that the high speed DSL service from Internet Express is probably a "wash" for most Shores users.

Now, there are three things that you will have to do to take advantage of this offer:

#1. You will have to give the DSL installer access to your unit for a one to two hour visit, at a time when you are home to accomplish the installation. He will probably use one of the spare telephone pairs that are already available in most units to bring the DSL service to a telephone jack of your choice.

#2. You will have to install, or have installed, what is called a Network Interface Card (NIC) in your PC. That "card" is available at retailers like Office Max for around $30; the installation is easy for those who are comfortable with opening up their computer and plugging in the card.

For those who would not want to put in the card themselves, we understand that the Emerald City Computer Works (1001 B Avenue, Coronado 619.435.7123) will offer a special deal to Shores' residents - installation at a one time charge of $30.00 plus the cost of the NIC. Call "Ed" there for service.

Those who have lap top's and want the DSL service can purchase an external "card" that plugs into the laptop PCMCIA slot.

#3. You need to sign up with Internet Express for their ISP/DSL service (i.e $59.00 per month) for a service period of 24 months.

We have found Internet Express to be very customer service oriented. They follow up at every step to be sure your installation is going well and that you are satisfied. Obviously the subcommittee cannot guarantee that this high level of service will always be sustained or that individual units may not have unit wiring or computer setup problems. However, Internet Express is headquartered in San Diego and the management of the company seems to be very anxious to build a large local base of satisfied customers.

The subcommittee also cannot guarantee that your computer will have a slot for the NIC or that there will not be other problems with the installation which might result in higher costs than quoted here. We recommend that you talk to either your regular computer service person or the Emerald City Computer Works before contracting for the Internet Express service to be sure that your equipment is ready for the installation

Sincerely,
Ed Sack Russ Robelen Jamie Darnell