Shentel Offers “Contract-Free and Wallet-Friendly” Low-Speed Internet Service

Like many of its peers, regional telecom, cable, and wireless operator Shenandoah Telecommunications Co. (Shentel) is trying to balance a desire to increase its customer base with the need to keep subscribers with poor credit from hurting financial results. Those subscribers increase churn, as they tend to cancel service more frequently than more affluent subscribers, even when they are not being shut off by the provider. And even with the high margins afforded by high-speed data services, the cost of that churn is a significant drag on the profitability of providers’ data services.

While Internet subscriber growth remains a bright ...