CHARLES POINTE TO OFFER HOMES, BUSINESSES
CONVERGED COMMUNICATIONS SERVICES VIA
INTEGRAL FIBER OPTIC, WIRELESS NETWORKS

BRIDGEPORT – Charles Pointe will be the first West Virginia community to have 21st century converged voice, video and data services as an integral part of the development, according to Jamie Corton, managing partner of Genesis Partners, the developer of the master-planned community.

Charles Pointe will be not only a physical community, but also a digital and virtual community, Corton said. “We envision converged voice, video, and data over fiber optic and wireless networks for every physical space. Each part – residential, retail businesses and office complexes – will have a virtual counterpart such as online shopping at local businesses, scheduling reservations at a restaurant, tee times at the golf course, and appointments at the hair salon or doctor's office,” he explained.

Communications Plus of Westover, W.Va., a subsidiary of West Side Telecommunications, Inc., will ‘wire’ the community, taking fiber optics directly into the homes, businesses and other spaces such as public buildings. The services will be marketed by, and as, Smart Connections, also a West Virginia company.

Other benefits of the converged services will include webcams that allow people to ‘look in’ on their children at the playground or check the traffic on Interstate 79 before leaving home. Communications Plus also will provide service to the $8.7 million Wingate Inn that is under construction at Charles Pointe. The hotel is expected to open this fall.

“Genesis Partners and Communications Plus share a common vision,” Corton concluded. “We are committed to providing competitive services that enhance our customers’ lives, while building a stronger community.”

West Side Vice President and General Manager Michael Dawson said, "This venture will allow the customers at Charles Pointe to obtain all communications services from one local provider. Enhanced voice services, high speed internet, and enhanced video services also will all be part of a package that gives the customer the option of one stop shopping.”
Communications Plus is part of the West Side Telecommunications family, which has provided 82 years of local telephone service to western Monongalia County. The company also provides high speed Internet access (DSL) in its exchange area as well as dialup Internet services statewide. Both West Side and Communications Plus are part of TelAtlantic Communications, Inc. (www.telatlantic.net) of Alexandria, Va. which operates telecommunications companies in rural America.

“By taking fiber optics directly into the home, we set the stage for families – and businesses – to open many new opportunities, from education to entertainment, commerce to personal communications,” said Walter J. Burmeister, Chief Operating Officer of TelAtlantic Communications.
Communications Plus is the latest to join the team providing services to the new development. S&A Homes, which has been building high quality homes in West Virginia for several years, will build the community; CB Richard Ellis Retail Services will recruit businesses; and Harrison Rural Electrification Association of Bridgeport and Dominion Hope Gas will provide electricity and gas, respectively.

Charles Pointe, West Virginia’s first master-planned community, is being built on 2,000 acres adjacent to I-79 Technology Corridor just north of Bridgeport, W.Va.

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