Surf's up

Wave Broadband, formerly Starstream Communications, users will notice some swifter currents on the Internet in a little more than a month. Wave recently announced it will be nearly tripling its download speeds.Just two weeks ago the Starstream signs came down and Wave Broadband officially became Rocklin's local Internet, cable and phone provider. "The name change is symbolic in that we are a new company and have a new way of thinking," said Wave's Adam Lazera.The company said now they are making some much needed changes."We are still in the process of making the change over," said Jerry Rotondo, vice president of the Sacramento-Rocklin region. "But we have some really exciting things lined up for our customers."Internet speeds will increase from about a three-megabyte download to eight megabytes. The speed upgrade will happen around May 29. Wave Broadband became the official digital carrier for the Rocklin area in January.Customer services will also be getting a lift as Wave will introduce a 24 hour, seven days-a-week technical support through a hotline."The whole goal of everything we are doing is to provide better customer services," Rotondo said.Wave is currently moving towards a full digital lineup as part of the new Federal Communications Committee regulations. According to the FCC all cable providers must be 100 percent digital by 2009.Rotondo said a digital platform allows customers to have more channels at a higher quality and Wave plans to make use of these new capabilities. Adding HD channels will be at an additional cost to a customer's monthly bill.In about three weeks the company will be releasing more information about a multitude of high definition channels through customer letter, emails and video services.Lazera said in the past television and Internet services were provided in a one-size-fits-all package. Wave will be announcing several different package options in the coming weeks."We want to give our customers choice and control," Lazera said. "Right now we are focusing on getting the word out that Wave Broadband is the new digital services provider in Rocklin."During the hand over, the vast majority of Starstream Communications employees stayed at the Rocklin location. Jerry Rotondo said he was the lone replacement for Wave and it has been a pleasant move from Washington."I'm having fun," Rotondo said. "I'm enjoying the climate and just adjusting a little to the warmer weather. I'm used to the rain after living in Washington."For more information on Wave Broadband visit www.wavebroadband.com.