Bresnan Communications (see our user reviews) is the nation's thirteenth largest cable operator, serving customers in Colorado, Montana, Wyoming, and Utah. Bresnan tells attendees of a DOCSIS 3.0 conference in Denver that they're installing Cisco uBR10012 cable modem termination systems (CMTS) in select markets, but they're not embracing faster wideband speeds just yet -- in part because of the cost of DOCSIS 3.0 cable modems. Well, that and the carrier's biggest competitor is Qwest, whose 12Mbps and 20Mbps ADSL2+ offerings are in limited markets. We've explored how Bresnan is seeing some municipal fiber competition in Wyoming, though even that's capped at just 10Mbps/5Mbps. Like many cable operators, Bresnan has found that running ads that confuse last mile and core network fiber is a less expensive competitive alternative.

We've previously mentioned how the small town of Powell, Wyoming hopes to see an economic resurgence through the building of a $4.9 million fiber network through a public-private partnership with little to no taxpayer risk. The project broke ground back in May, and local Broadband Reports user koolkid1563 has been tracking the progress of the project. Last week, splicing and testing were completed on 11 of the 13 Powellink zones set to receive the service.

It looks like they're starting rather slowly, offering customers a 10Mbps/5Mbps tier, which according to their pricing sheet is available for $42.45 standalone, $39.95 when bundled with voice or TV, or $35.95 when bundled with both VoIP and TV service. koolkid1563 snapped a few pictures of his ONT, says the installation was painless, and notes that the service doesn't require a long-term contract.

The user notes that the local cable competitor is Bresnan Communications. Like other cable operators facing FTTH competition who haven't upgraded to DOCSIS 3.0, Bresnan is highlighting in advertisements how they've been using fiber since 2003, in the hopes that users can't differentiate between core and last mile network fiber.