Steamboat Pilot & Today

Hayden — Internet users in Hayden could realize speeds as fast as 8 megabytes per second by early summer.

To put that simply, a user could download about two songs per second -- about 140 times faster than a dial-up modem connection and more than 30 times faster than the wireless Internet service currently offered in Hayden.

In addition to the high-speed Internet connection, Bresnan Communications plans to provide DVR recorders that can record any of the shows on the 200 channels of digital cable. Telephone service can be included in the package with unlimited long-distance calling. The package with all three services will cost about $120, said Tommy Cotton, Bresnan's general manager.

Cotton guessed about half of the cable users in Hayden use satellite.

Cotton said the service could be available by June, depending on the weather. The company started upgrading the cable infrastructure in 2004, but weather has delayed the installation of a fiber-optic line connecting Hayden with Craig. The installation requires dry weather, Cotton said.

Completing that connection will give Hayden access to all the services Craig has. Cotton said the company is looking into providing high-definition TV channels.

The company has invested about $100,000 in Hay--den to improve cable. Cotton said Bres--nan plans to spend as much as $200,000 to finish burying the line.

"I'm hinging this on the growth of Hayden," Bresnan said. "If we have high-speed Internet, then I hope that will bring in businesses, and that will help the town grow if those types of services are available."

Some residents are skeptical about whether the high-speed connection will become a reality this summer.

Jack Giessinger of Bear River Realty said high-speed Internet in Hayden has been rumored for more than two years.

"I'm a bit concerned that they are not going to get those lines in," he said.

Pamela Gann said it is time for Hayden to have high-speed Internet.

"With one punch of the button, if I had cable Internet, I could tell my customers where their part is and when they'll have it," said Gann, who is the general manager for NAPA Auto Parts in Hayden.

Instead, she plays a lot of phone tag with her suppliers.

"NAPA has so much to offer ... but it has to be done with high-speed Internet," Gann said. "It would be beneficial to my customers and time saving."

Now, residents choose between dial-up or wireless technology through NC Telecom for Internet access. The wireless package costs about $45 a month.

Cotton said Bresnan will be competitive with that price.