Cablevision offering cross-sound Internet service for Long Island

Long Island Business News, Mar 24, 2006 by Jean Paul Vellotti

Thomas Hicks of Port Jefferson can sleep a little bit longer in the morning now that he's connected to the Internet during his daily commute aboard the Bridgeport-Port Jefferson Ferry.

Working on his laptop, Hicks, who is vice president of business development at Stratek in Wallingford, Conn., sits in the main cabin of the ship and fires off e-mails wirelessly to colleagues in Europe.

I used to have to get up a half-hour earlier to work on international e-mails, which gave me a chance to respond once I got to my office, Hicks said.

And when you catch a 6 a.m. ferry, that extra sleep is precious.

The service is provided by Cablevision and only available to current OptOnline subscribers who log in using their e-mail address and password. Cablevision hasn't publicly announced the service, which has been available for the past three months, and that's fine with this informal group of 40 Long Island ferry commuters dubbed the Frequent Floaters.

It's their best-kept morning secret.

Aaron Prindle, another Port Jefferson resident and a teacher in Bridgeport, surfs the Net and prepares lesson plans during the 75-minute trip. Dave Lauer of Centereach hooks into his company's private network. I can do my job just as if I was at my desk, he says. Even though the Floaters are extra productive on the boat, none were able to convince their employers that they should be able to leave work early.

Users of the service connect using a WiFi card inserted into their laptops, and a satellite dish sends the transmission to the mainland. Cablevision has installed hotspots on all three boats and in each terminal.

Passengers say the service has improved since its first offering, with only occasional deadspots in the middle of the Sound.