WOW! is the 15th largest cable provider in the United States. It has been given accolades by Consumer Reports

Consumer Reports

Consumer Reports is an American magazine published monthly by Consumers Union since 1936. It publishes reviews and comparisons of consumer products and services based on reporting and results from its in-house testing laboratory. It also publishes cleaning and general buying guides...

 as the top Television and internet provider in it's 2009 telecom survey.

History

The Telecommunications Act of 1996

Telecommunications Act of 1996

The Telecommunications Act of 1996 was the first major overhaul of United States telecommunications law in nearly 62 years, amending the Communications Act of 1934. This Act, signed by President Bill Clinton, was a major stepping stone towards the future of telecommunications, since this was the...

 gave way for more competition to enter the cable TV market. Encouraged by this law a number of investors, led by local telephone companies, established competitive broadcast cable services in markets across the country. These entities became known in the industry as 'cable overbuilders,' meaning they would build new cable infrastructure into areas where there were existing cable systems.

WOW! was founded in November 1999 in Denver, Colorado

Denver, Colorado

The City and County of Denver is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Denver is a consolidated city-county, located in the South Platte River Valley on the western edge of the High Plains just east of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains...

. After completing a network build in April 2001, WOW! initially served about 200 people in the Denver area. In November 2001, Americast, an overbuild system in the Midwest built and operated by Ameritech New Media, Inc., was purchased by WOW! for an undisclosed amount per subscriber, estimated to have been at a cost of $1,000 per sub. This purchase opened WOW! to over 310,000 new customers in areas surrounding the cities of Chicago

Chicago

Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...

, Detroit, Denver, Cleveland, and Columbus

Columbus, Ohio

Columbus is the capital of and the largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio. The broader metropolitan area encompasses several counties and is the third largest in Ohio behind those of Cleveland and Cincinnati. Columbus is the third largest city in the American Midwest, and the fifteenth largest city...

.

WOW! currently provides service in the metropolitan areas of Detroit, Chicago, Columbus, Cleveland, and Evansville, IN. WOW! no longer serves the Denver market.

WOW! is privately owned with Avista Capital Partners

Avista Capital Partners

Avista Capital Partners is a private equity firm focused on growth capital and leveraged buyout investments in middle-market companies in the energy, healthcare and media sectors....

having a majority stake.

Services

WOW! currently offers three services; Internet, Digital Cable Television, and Phone services.

High Speed Internet Service

WOW! currently offers Four High Speed Internet speeds. (Updated as of October 18th 2011)

• 2/1, 2Mb download with 1Mb upload
• 15/1, 15Mb download with 1Mb upload
• 30/3, 30Mb download and 3Mb upload
• 50/5, 50Mb download with 5Mb upload

(30/3 and 50/5 require a Docsis 3.0 modem)

WOW! also offers a home networking Wi-Fi service.

Cable Television Service

In most WOW! markets their Cable Television service offers about 336 channels. WOW! currently offers a limited amount of analog channels (16 channels), with all of the rest of their stations broadcast in either standard digital (SD) or high definition (HD or Hi-Def). WOW!'s options for set top boxes (a.k.a. STB or cable box) are in order:

• The digital terminal adapter also known as a DTA, needed to receive full basic cable (DTA's are only needed with TV's that do not have a digital QAM tuner)
• The standard digital box, which allows for access to premium stations and video on demand services, as well as full basic cable, Caller ID on TV (but no Hi-Def stations)
• The high def definition box offers all the aforementioned services as well as high definition stations
• The standard digital DVR (digital video recorder) which offers all the aforementioned services but no high definition
• The high definition DVR, which offers all the aforementioned services as well as access to high definition stations

WOW! also offers cable cards for TVs that are cable card ready and for TiVo services.

Phone Service

WOW! currently offers three different phone bundles. Advanced Phone, Essential Phone, and Standard Phone.

Advanced Phone:
Unlimited local, local toll and nationwide calling to anyone in the continental United States, Hawaii, Alaska, Canada, Puerto Rico, Guam, Saipan, Northern Mariana Islands and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

• Voicemail
• Caller ID
• Call Waiting
• Call Forwarding (*72)
• Call Return (*69)
• 3-Way Calling
• Caller ID for Call Waiting
• Anonymous Call Rejection
• Repeat Dial
• Selective Call Rejection
• Selective Call Forwarding
• Caller ID block
• Caller ID unblock

Essential Phone:

• Unlimited local and local toll calling
• Caller ID
• Call Waiting
• Caller ID for Call Waiting
• Call Forwarding (*72)
• Call Return (*69)
• 3-Way Calling
• Anonymous Call Rejection
• Repeat Dial
• Selective Call Rejection
• Selective Call Forwarding
• Caller ID block
• Caller ID unblock
• $.05 Per minute domestic long distance plan

WOW! Standard Phone:

100 minutes of outbound local, local toll and domestic long distance calling (including Canada)

• Unlimited incoming calls
• Unlimited calls to any toll-free number, 911 or to check your WOW! Voicemail
• $.05 per minute for outbound calls in excess of 100 minute plan

Awards

WOW! has been recognized locally and within its industry for outstanding customer satisfaction, positive employment practices leading to satisfied employees and supporting the advancement of women.

2011

• WOW! recognized as J.D. Power 2011 #1 in customer satisfaction with high-speed Internet service in North Central Region

• WOW! awarded the Business of Integrity Award by the Evansville Better Business Bureau (BBB)

• WOW! Named ‘Best Place to Work Finalist' in Northeast Ohio

• WOW!'s Colleen Abdoulah Elected Vice Chairwoman of the American Cable Association

• WOW! is Rated #1 in Consumer Reports Among Internet and Television Service Providers

• WOW! Named ‘Best Place to Work' in Indiana

• WOW! Recognized as a J.D. Power 2011 Customer Service Champion. One of only 40 companies to receive this distinction in the U.S.

2010

• Highest in Customer Satisfaction in the J.D. Power and Associates 2010 Internet Service Provider Residential Customer Satisfaction Study for the North Central Region.

• Highest in Customer Satisfaction in the J.D. Power and Associates Residential Telephone Customer Satisfaction Study for the North Central Region.

• ConsumerSearch.org Best Regional Cable Broadband ISP
• Consumer Reports Highest Ranked Internet, Phone and Television Service – February 2010
• Illinois Best Places to Work
• CableFax Magazine Independent Customer Service Award

2009

• Highest in Customer Satisfaction in the J.D. Power and Associates Residential High Speed Internet Customer Satisfaction Study for the North Central Region.
• Highest in Customer Satisfaction in the J.D. Power and Associates Residential Telephone Customer Satisfaction Study for the North Central Region.
• Highest in Customer Satisfaction in the J.D. Power and Associates Residential Television Service Satisfaction Study for the North Central Region.
• WOW! Evansville, IN office receives Mayor's Award for its significant support and contribution to Easter Seals.
• The 2009 Detroit Free Press Top Workplaces

2008

• Women in Cable Telecommunications: recognized WOW! as one of the top five employers in the cable and telecommunications industry that provides exceptional support towards the advancement of women in the workplace.
• Named Independent Operator of the Year by Cable Fax Magazine.
• Highest in Customer Satisfaction in the J.D. Power and Associates Residential Telephone Customer Satisfaction Study for the North Central Region.
• Highest in Customer Satisfaction in the J.D. Power and Associates Residential High Speed Internet Customer Satisfaction Study for the North Central Region.
• Named to Metro Detroit's 101 Best and Brightest Companies to Work For by Michigan Business and Professional Association.

2007

• Highest in Customer Satisfaction in the J.D. Power and Associates Residential Cable/Satellite Television Study.
• Highest in Customer Satisfaction in the J.D. Power and Associates Residential Telephone customer Satisfaction Study for the North Central Region.
• Crain's Cool Places to Work in Southeast Michigan.
• Recognized by the Economic Development Corporation in Colorado Springs, CO for creating quality jobs for a quality community
• Named to Chicago's 101 Best and Brightest Companies to Work For by the National Association of Business Resources.

2006

• Highest in Customer Satisfaction for the North Central Region in the J.D. Power and Associates Residential Cable/Satellite Television Study.
• Highest in Customer Satisfaction in the J.D. Power and Associates Internet Service Provider Residential Customer Satisfaction Study.
• PC Magazine Reader's Choice Award for High-Speed Internet Provider.

2005

• Highest in Overall Customer Satisfaction in the J.D. Power and Associates Residential Cable/Satellite Television Study.