always operating at optimal performance and is able to handle the technology of tomorrow without the hassle of additional construction interruption.
What is bulking?
Before getting into the details of how your community can benefit from a bulk service agreement, it’ s best to first understand what that means. Simply put, it is an agreement between an HOA and a service provider to deliver specified services, such as internet and TV, to everyone in the community. Typically, these services are the same for each household, with an option for residents to add additional services or features at their discretion, at a reduced retail rate.
A bulk service model is ideal for communities that want to provide their residents with more advanced products and services at a lower cost than traditional retail service providers, and is especially attractive to those residents who understand the power of a consistent, reliable connection, and are interested in saving money for that connection. Once the network is in place, upgrades can be completed seamlessly and remotely, with little to no need for additional construction which also contributes to the cost saving.
What can bulk pricing do for your community?
By offering residents the same services across the board, the service provider is able to offer advanced, feature-rich services to all residents, versus traditional retail services that can vary in pricing, speed, and typically come with a do-it-yourself approach to customer service.
Consider this: you choose a service provider that builds a main fiber feed to deliver a robust service offering, including highspeed, symmetrical internet speeds to your community. They are then able to construct individual lines to each household from a centrally-located distribution point – or headend – to bring those same lightning-fast speeds into every home, without continual construction which saves the property additional fees for more construction.
Because bulking is more costeffective, residents can receive faster connection speeds at a lower rate than they would with a traditional retail plan. What’ s more, an all-fiber network means communities can receive uninterrupted, symmetrical download and upload speeds, capable of offering gigabit speeds.
Is bulk the right choice for your property?
As a community manager or leader, you are tasked with a multitude of responsibilities to ensure your properties are running smoothly, and the residents are happy. When considering bulk services for your community, it’ s important to first ask if your residents’ technology needs are being met. Are they receiving adequate speeds? Is their connection reliable? Do they want better customer service? Perhaps they haven’ t even considered these points.
BULK / STREAM / FIBER / ROBUST /
If your community is currently receiving telecommunications services on a retail basis, meaning each home decides which provider they want to use, which services they receive, and is billed individually, presenting the idea of bulk services will likely bring about a lot of questions. But if their needs aren’ t being met, like any other relationship, it might be time to start exploring other options.
The average cost for retail internet and television services – the most common services – will be around $ 150 per home for average speeds and an average channel package. And maybe that’ s fine. But by opting to move to a bulk pricing model, residents will receive high-speed internet access along with a robust channel lineup at 40 % less than choosing these same services individually.
That can be a savings of $ 1,000 or more each year, which may make bulking a much more attractive solution.
Common questions. Uncommon answers.
No use ignoring the white elephant in the corner of the room. Here are the most common objections to a bulk agreement:
n People don’ t like to pay for access to television channels they never watch. After all, isn’ t that what apps are for?
l Yes and no. When considering bulk, the board should start with the least common denominator: the channels that everyone wants. In most cases, that’ s still the major networks that provide the most live coverage along with local news and weather. People can always add what they want but most starting access packages today include the basics.
reliable continued on page 46
WWW. CAIWESTFLORIDA. ORg community • December 2025
45