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Internet America gets back online
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Published: November 22, 2008
Internet America is getting back online after the company's new owner inherited some vendor problems.
Dasia.Net finalized its purchase of the Internet service provider for an undisclosed price on Nov. 1 and discovered six days later that Windstream intended to disconnect its services for non-payment by the previous owner, said Dasia.Net owner David Gardner.
Former owners Randy Gilleland and Reita Gilleland, who owned the ISP business for about a year, purchased it to gain personnel with technical skills that complemented their primary business goals. Gardner said that as a result they couldn't meet the needs of an operating ISP, which cost them about 30 percent of their customer base in six months.
The falling revenue caused some financial trouble, which lead to some conflict with Windstream, according to Gardner.
After learning about the connectivity issues, Gardner said management realized all e-mail, Web page services and 90 percent of the Internet connectivity to homes and businesses would cease to work.
In order to keep up the service , the company moved its domain name system, Web and e-mail services to the Data Center in Charlotte.
"Definitely not the way any sane person would choose to move a network the size of Internet America's, but it was the only way to guarantee that e-mail communications for Internet America's customers would stay 'on the air' even with the hiccups of moving ... so fast," Gardner said.
These hiccups inconvenienced several customers, who spent the week of Nov. 10 trying to get their service up and running.
Hospice and Palliative Care of Iredell County Operations Director Charles Ashe said the nonprofit's Web site and Internet were down for some time.
"It was nuts," Ashe said. "There was no call to us saying we're closing."
Southeast Tubular Products Sales and Marketing Director Scott Leonard said his company had similar issues, which has hurt their business.
"We get quotes on e-mail," he said." The potential loss is great because we can't get on our e-mail. It locks us down. I've been so backlogged."
Leonard said the company found an affiliated domain name provider and had its Web site and Internet service restored on Monday.
Gardner said former Salisbury.Net owner Joey Horne has resolved all service-affecting issues.
Rather than letting the Internet service business die, the Gillelands contacted Windstream to plead "for a stay of execution."
"I found out today from Barbara Shoaf of Windstream, it was primarily out of concern for thousands of individuals and businesses who would be hurt by the discontinuance of service," Gardner wrote in an e-mail Thursday.
Dasia.Net is in negotiations with Windstream to have the circuits delivered to the data center in Charlotte where Dasia.Net's network core is located.
Gardner said no layoffs occurred as a result of the purchase and Gilleland and Horne remain on staff.
The Statesville office on Berry Road is closed at this time, but customers can still make appointments for service.
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