Apartments add telecom services

Two Harrisburg-area apartment complexes have contracted

with a company to lower and consolidate their tenants'

telecommunication bills in mid-2001.

And, in a sign of a growing trend in apartments, a representative of the Apartment Association of Greater Philadelphia said it has recently signed two similar deals that could benefit up to 105,000 units statewide by spring.

If the Harrisburg-area program succeeds, four more apartment communities will be next, according to the senior property manager.

Twin Lakes Manor Apartments at 4405-A Union Deposit Road, Lower Paxton Township, and Camelot Village Apartments at 2161 Camelot Drive, Susquehanna Township, are scheduled for the improvements, according to Duane Drozdowski, senior property manager of Property Management Inc., Lemoyne.

The firm manages about 750 apartment units in the two properties, combined. Drozdowski said the telecommunication package will help him retain and attract residents.

"We want people to say, 'Yeah, look at all the neat stuff PMI is offering!' " Drozdowski said.

Many apartment complex owners and property managers have been looking to improve their telecommunication services over the past six months, explained Pamela Bennett, executive director of the Apartment Association of Greater Philadelphia. But, because the owners and managers negotiate individually, their bargaining power is limited, Bennett said.

Enter the Apartment Association of Greater Philadelphia.

According to Bennett, the association finalized two separate contracts with telecommunication providers in the past six weeks. The deals struck with Philadelphiabased Comcast Cable Corp. and Baltimorebased One Point Communications (now part of Verizon Inc.) will enable the association's members - 107 owners and property managers representing 90,000 apartment units - to offer their tenants improved telecommunication services.

These tenants can participate now in the Comcast deal, but One Point won't have its service up and running until spring 2001, Bennett said. The goal is to offer the services to the Apartment Association of Central Pennsylvania - the state's other local apartment association - by spring.

The Apartment Association of Central Pennsylvania represents about 15,000 units, Bennett said. PMI is a member, Drozdowski confirmed.

"Apartments want to provide these services to their tenants because they want to stay on the cutting edge," Bennett explained. For the younger tenants who are just out of college, this technology is an expectation."

Baltimore-based Ntegrity Telecontent Inc. will be providing the "neat stuff' for Twin Lakes and Camelot Village.

The company signed a multiyear agreement with PMI this summer to provide "telecontent solutions" in the apartment communities.

Kevin Sampson, vice president of marketing for Ntegrity, said the company can save tenants 10 percent to 40 percent on their cable television, Internet access and local and long distance telephone bills.

Sampson described Ntegrity's services:

* Cable: direct broadcast satellite is installed. Television signals are fed along existing cable lines. Costs $35.95 a month, and includes a couple of premium channels.

* Internet: high-speed access through an asymmetrical digital subscriber line (DSL). Quicker than dial-up access. Costs about $19.95 a month.

* Long distance telephone: 7-cent per minute flat rate, anywhere in the United States. No monthly service fee.

* Local telephone: Package of unlimited local calling, caller ID, call waiting, voice mail, automatic call back, three-way calling and speed dialing. Costs about $40 a month.

If the program succeeds, Drozdowski said the services will be available in its four other Hanisburg-area apartment complexes - The Brambles at 1776 Louisa Lane, Hampden Township, Mountain View Village Apartments at 4175 Mountain View Road, Hampden Township, Wesley Park Townhouses at 135 Wesley Drive, Lower Allen Township, and Delbrook Manor Apartments at 520 Breezewood Court, Hampden Township.

But, Drozdowski said things aren't moving as swiftly as he expected.

Donna Fields, vice president of sales for Ntegrity, said "things are happening." She promised the new services will be up and running before mid-2001.

While Drozdowski said he is hopeful Ntegrity will meet its contractual obligations, he pointed out he can participate in the local association's deal, if need be.

Tenants can pick and choose which telecommunication services they wish to receive from Ntegrity. Or they can stay with their existing carriers.

Ntegrity has contracted with more than 50,000 apartment units in Pennsylvania, Maryland, New Jersey, Michigan, New York and Massachusetts. PMI is the company's primary client in Central Pennsylvania, Fields said.

Ntegrity is privately held, and serves only the apartment community. It was created in 1998.