When America’s Largest Subsidized Affordable Seniorliving Community Installed Wifi, This Is Who They Called

One of the largest non-profit operators in the country knows how important the internet is for residents.

Retirement Housing Foundation or RHF, understands that fast, reliable WiFi is a lifeline for elderly tenants, giving them the freedom to do everything — from reaching out to loved ones to paying bills to enjoying the latest streaming entertainment.

So in 2017 when RHF decided to take the plunge and install WiFi at its flagship property in downtown Los Angeles, company leaders looked to a groundbreaking firm with a stellar reputation: Commercial Connectivity Services.

Headquartered in Southern California, CCS is a veteran-founded business with a long track record of setting up and maintaining managed WiFi at senior living residences. But even for seasoned professionals, RHF’s Angelus Plaza was a behemoth. The Plaza is the country’s largest subsidized affordable senior living community, per the Affordable and Accessible Housing Registry, housing more than 1,100 residents over millions of square feet in one of the most densely populated cities on earth.

“As an older property with aging infrastructure, Angelus Plaza posed all sorts of complicated logistical challenges,” says Jose Valenzuela, co-founder of CCS. “But we did it! We wired every square inch of that property.”

Following CCS’s success at Angelus Plaza, RHF contracted the company to build out managed WiFi in an additional 17 properties all over the country: both Northern and Southern California along with Texas, the Midwest and the East Coast.

That’s more than 2,500 residents across seven states who now rely on networks built, operated and maintained by CCS.

“CCS has been our trusted Internet provider for our flagship property in downtown LA for over eight years.” says Kristal Olvera, a regional administrator for RHF. “Their services and products have consistently exceeded our expectations, providing our residents with reliable connectivity and top-notch customer service.”

“Reliable WiFi isn’t a luxury for seniors. It’s a commodity.” How CCS brought top WiFi to RHF

Unlike large, monolithic cable companies, CCS specializes in building and operating boutique managed WiFi networks for senior living properties. The company understands the unique challenges of working in this market, from providing clear, concise broadband options for tenants, to operating white glove customer service where an actual human being answers the phone!

“If a senior is having difficulty connecting to the WiFi, or the network is impacted at one of our dozens of properties, we have a dedicated phone number that somebody will pick up 24-7,” says Jeff Skolnick, CCS co-founder. “If all of our agents are busy, you don’t get routed to a voicemail — you get patched through to my cell phone or Jose’s. And if something needs fixing, we’ll drop everything and be there.”

It’s an old-school, hard-word-ethic approach that resonates with the dozens of property owners and operators who now know and trust CCS WiFi across the country. And this attention to detail and tenacity is just one reason why RHF keeps expanding its business with CCS.

Because CCS specializes in senior housing properties, the company is also consistently monitoring everything from developing technologies to changes in government regulations that help offset the capital costs of installing managed WiFi or subsidize the provision of new broadband networks in underserved areas.

Investing in a managed WiFi network for a senior housing property may seem like a daunting task, but it doesn’t need to be, and can lead to significant benefits.

“Reliable WiFi isn’t a luxury for seniors. It’s a commodity now — period,” Skolnick says. “And installing a managed WiFi network means building owners don’t need to bother with the headache of sometimes 10 different ISPs constantly connecting and reconnecting networks for residents.”

Managed WiFi networks are typically so much more cost-effective than other available options that 99% of residents choose to use them, Skolnick said. And CCS managed WiFi networks don’t just offer individuals connectivity in their units, but also spread broadband across common areas, throughout office spaces and even outside the building.

“This is kind of a no-brainer for senior living facility managers,” Skolnick said. “That’s why big companies like RHF already trust us — because we’ve already shown we can do this, and do it well.”

Or, as RHF’s Olvera puts it: “We couldn’t be more satisfied with their partnership.”

This Views article is sponsored by Commercial Connectivity Services. To learn more about how they can bring managed WiFi to you, visit them at commercialconnectivity.com, or email co-founder Jeff Skolnick directly at Jeff@commercialconnectivity.com.

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