News Archive

What are we doing?
Recently the Press Democrat published an article on Twitter, the popular micro-blogging web site, which mentions businesses leveraging the communication technology to stay in touch with their customers. For the last six months Sonic.net has been using the Twitter account “@sonicnet” to interact with customers; notifying them of changes to our systems, letting them know about new features as we roll them out, as well as interacting directly with customers to help them solve problems. read more

Sonic.net rolls out new broadband in downtown offices
Sonic.net was recently highlighted in a North Bay Business Journal Article about our most recent project: wiring the building in downtown Santa Rosa at 50 Old Courthouse Square with a unique next-generation broadband service. The goal was simple: broadband for the building tenants that's faster and cheaper than anything else available. read more

Green Certification for Sonic.net
At the Sonoma County Board of Supervisor’s meeting this last Tuesday, Sonic.net received certification under the Sonoma Green Business Program. It’s wonderful to receive recognition for our investment and practices from the Business Environmental Alliance and the County Board of Supervisors. read more

Best of the North Bay Award
We have been very happy to be repeatedly recognized as Sonoma’s “Best ISP” by The Bohemian. We were described as “Sympathetic and serene”. The BoHo wrote “They’re my ISP too, and I must confess to a deep and rigorous love.” Great to hear! They went on to say we impress them by consistently “…by making everything right. In minutes. As if by magic.” read more

Sonic Telecom Highlighted in the Press Democrat
Sonic.net has completed a two-year process to create a separate telecommunication company and has started offering fast Internet connections at low prices to businesses within one mile of downtown Santa Rosa. For more information about these new products, see the Press Democrat article here. (Photo: The Press Democrat)

Introducing FlexLink
Sonic.net's next generation network is now online, delivering service to businesses in Santa Rosa. The FlexLink family of products deliver high speed access in a range of speeds to meet the growing Internet needs of businesses. Choose from T1, Dual-T1, Ethernet and ADSL2+ products. Click here for more information. FlexLink is coming to additional locations in the second half of this year.

Sonic.net T1 Special: now $449 per month!
We are offering special pricing on Internet T1 circuits for a limited time. Available almost everywhere in the state of California, including many rural areas, with no additional mileage charges! T1 Internet service provides reliable business broadband access, now at a more affordable price point. Term commitment required, new circuits only, taxes are additional. Click here to contact a rep.

Sonic.net launches Satellite Broadband
Sonic.net now offers high-speed Internet access via satellite to areas where broadband service was previously unavailable. Like DSL, this is a lightning-fast, always-on connection without the need for dialing up or using a phone line while you are online. Residential packages start at $49.95 per month. For a limited time, we are offering $150 off equipment and installation. Click here for more information. Business satellite access is coming soon, email sales@sonic.net if you are interested.

Sonic.net Holiday Party 2007
On December 14th, Sonic.net went to the Hyatt Vineyard Creek to hold its annual Holiday Party. Once again, we would like to thank our customers and staff for another wonderful year! To view a gallery of pictures that were taken during the festivities, Click here.

Sonic.net Free Wi-Fi Expanding Again
Our Sonic.net Open Wi-Fi is expanding again. Wi-Fi is now planned for the three SRJC campuses (Santa Rosa, Petaluma and Windsor), and parts of both the City of Petaluma and the City of Sebastopol. For more information, and some roll out time frames, check out the recent Press Democrat article. We also invite our DSL customers to host their own hotspot on the Wi-Fi network by signing up here.

Free Wi-Fi on the Airport Express
Sonic.net has partnered with the Sonoma County Airport Express to deliver free Internet access for riders. In deployment for the last month, we have logged five to ten users per bus every day, and rider feedback has been great. See the story in the North Bay Business Journal for more information. Save gas and the cost of parking at SFO and ride the Airport Express!

Sonic.net Breaks Ground on Greener Data Center Cooling
We're expanding again! This time we are replacing our data center air conditioning, or CRAC (Computer Room Air Conditioning). Installation of this ultra energy-efficient cooling system, custom engineered and designed by Bell Products, Inc. of Napa, has already begun. We'll keep you updated as we make progress on this exciting new green cooling project. To see how how far it's come already, view the gallery of our installation.

Sonic.net Open Wi-Fi Project
Sonic.net has created a new open Wi-Fi concept. Working with our customers, we are building new community-supported Wi-Fi networks wherever Sonic.net DSL is available. For more information, see our Open Wi-Fi Project Page. We are getting lots of nice press about this effort at Engadget, GigaOm, BroadBandReports, and now The Press Democrat (article and video).

Sonic.net Turns 13
Sonic.net celebrates our 13th birthday today. As always, we are expanding, adding 18 additional cubicles here today. This provides us with room for 90 staff members in our headquarters. For an interesting glimpse of our web history, see the Internet Archive Wayback Machine site.

DSL Coverage Expands to Fresno
We are now offering our DSL and Business T products in the Fresno area. For more information, check out our updated product availability maps and Business T page.

Sonic.net Spins Off Data Telephone Company
In order to keep pace with increasing customer demand for speed, Sonic.net has created a CLEC to deliver consumer and business products at maximum rates of 24Mbps to 100Mbps using ADSL2+ and VDSL2 technologies. Read more in the Press Democrat articles here and here.

Sonic.net is Now Serving the Customers of Calicom.net
We would like to welcome Calicom.net's community of Internet users to Sonic.net. For more information, including a letter from Daniel Torquato, visit www.calicom.net.

DSL Launched in San Diego
We are pleased to announce that our DSL and Business T products are now available in the San Diego area. For more information, check out our updated DSL and Business T pages.

Sonic.net Voted #1 ISP Ten Years in a Row
Sonic.net has been voted #1 ISP for the tenth year in a row by the readers of the North Bay Bohemian. Thanks go out to everyone that helped vote us #1 for another year! To see the full "Best Of" rankings, head over to bohemian.com.

Sonic.net Honored by NorthBay Biz
Sonic.net has been honored as one of the top 500 companies in the North Bay by Northbay Biz magazine. We are very excited by our continued growth as we continue to move upward in the company rankings in the North Bay area. See the results over at northbaybiz.com.

Petaluma Downtown Wi-Fi Goes Live
Wireless access to the internet is now available thanks to Sonic.net and the City of Petaluma. The equipment, recently installed as part of a pilot program, allows laptop wireless access within a 14 block coverage area from East Washington to "E" Street in downtown Petaluma. The new Wi-Fi system can provide up to 2 Megabits per second (2Mbps) of internet access to downtown businesses and visitors. See the Petaluma Argus Courier article or the Wireless Coverage Map for more information.

Event Calendar
As Sonic.net is now providing broadband services to customers all over California, our single "local" events calendar has become a bit outmoded, and we are retiring it today. The largest source of local events data today is calendar.google.com, which we recommend. You will need to create a free Google account to access the calendar.

Sonic.net Year-end Party
On December 14th, Sonic.net held its annual year-end party. We would like to thank our customers and staff for a wonderful year!

Your Privacy Matters
Sonic.net has recently revised our privacy policy. The new policy more clearly reflects our firm belief that customer information is strictly confidential. Please see our new privacy policy for more information.

Sonic.net turns 12
On July 26th, 1994 Sonic.net was founded, looking to provide quality Internet access for residences and businesses alike. We thank our customers, new and old, for another wonderful year, and look forward to even more!

Wired for success
A biographical piece on Sonic.net President and CEO Dane Jasper appeared in the July 23, 2006 Press Democrat. See the Press Democrat article for more information.

The changing face of Internet access
Sonic.net was featured in the June 13, 2006 Press Democrat in an article covering the rapid changes in the Internet-connectivity market, specifically regarding the place of dial-up access in relation to broadband. See the Press Democrat article for more information.

Sonic.net Weather Station
Running your own weather monitor is one fun thing you can do with your Sonic.net static IP DSL connection. We're running a weather station here at our HQ, and it's a fun and easy application for you to try at home. If you set up your own weather station, please let us know and we'll link to your page from ours at weather.sonic.net. You can find hardware and software for your own weather station at ambientweather.com.

DSL Deployed in Chico
We are pleased to announce that Sonic.net DSL circuits are now up and running in California LATA 2, servicing areas including Redding, Chico, and Yreka. Check our coverage map to see if we're in your area. Sign up today!

DSL Deployed in Monterey
We are pleased to announce that Sonic.net DSL service in LATA 8 has come online, covering the Hollister, Salinas, and Monterey areas. Check our coverage map to see if we're in your area. Sign up today!

DSL Deployed in Sacramento
We are pleased to announce that Sonic.net DSL circuits are now up and running in California LATA 3, servicing areas ranging from Davis to Lake Tahoe. Check our coverage map to see if we're in your area. Sign up today!

Dane Jasper on This Week in Tech
Sonic.net CEO Dane Jasper appeared on the January 22nd 2006 edition of This Week in Tech. Topics include CDs as backup media, Google vs. the Department of Justice, automatic heating coffee, and independent ISPs. (download MP3 | h.264 | MP4)

Sonic.net 2005 Holiday Party
On December 16th, the Sonic.net staff gathered at the Hyatt Vineyard Creek to celebrate the season. We would like to thank our customers, both new and long-term, for another great year.

Sonic.net featured in KFTY segment on avoiding Internet fraud.
KFTY segment regarding the dangers of Internet fraud and how consumers can better protect themselves. Watch clip: divx(xvid).avi (14MB) ,
mpeg1.mpg (17MB)

Sonic.net CEO Dane Jasper interviewed by The Press Democrat
Santa Rosa-based Internet provider Sonic.net is expanding to Sacramento, the next phase in its plan to become a statewide carrier.

"Our goal is to build a network covering much of the state with broadband services," said Sonic chief executive Dane Jasper. See the Press Democrat Article for more information.

Sacramento DSL Expansion
Sonic.net has ordered the circuits necessary to provide DSL in the Sacramento and Davis areas. Service is expected to come online for public use in Q1, 2006, extending our DSL coverage from the Bay Area to the Nevada border. A projected coverage map is now available.

Sonic.net Turns 11
This weekend Sonic.net celebrated our 11th anniversary with a staff and family barbecue at Armstrong Redwoods State Park. We would like to thank all of our customers for another great year! Sonic.net has been in business since July 26th, 1994, and we're looking forward to year number twelve being one of growth and exciting changes. View the photos.

Get a T3 from Sonic.net for only $3,995!
Sonic.net is offering a full 45Mbps T3 for only $3,995. For the next 60 days we are selling T3 Internet service at a very deep discount. This is a full T3 including SBC local loop, IP and Cisco router. See our T3 Special page for details or call us today!

Sonic.net featured in PC World
In The Best (and Worst) ISPs, PC World takes a look at the advantages of choosing a local service provider. Writer Susan Silvius shows how local staff and facilities at Sonic.net add value to Internet Access. Hits newsstands in the June issue, or click here to read online.

Sonic.net DSL in Los Angeles
We are pleased to announce that Sonic.net DSL is now available in Southern California. Check our coverage map to see if we're in your area. Please note that SBC voice service is required for Sonic.net DSL orders. Sign up today!

Petaluma Downtown Wireless
Sonic.net and the City of Petaluma have entered into an agreement to provide Wi-Fi in the Petaluma Downtown area. Sonic.net will mount Tropos Wi-Fi equipment on City light poles for optimal coverage of the area. All Sonic.net customers will have free access to the Wi-Fi network and non-Sonic.net can use the system for only $3.50/day. See the Press Democrat Article for more information.

NorthBay Biz 500
Sonic.net has been officially acknowledged as one of the NorthBay Biz 500 top revenue producing companies. NorthBay Biz magazine wrote "It took creativity and courage to make the difficult decisions that resulted in positioning your company, not only to survive, but also to thrive in less robust economic times."

Dialup Accelerator for Mac
The Sonic.net Dialup Web Accelerator is now available for Macintosh OS X 10.2 and newer. Also, a newly updated version for Windows is available. If you're a dialup member, it's free! Download it from the Sonic.net Accelerator page today.

Sonic.net Lobbies FCC
Sonic.net CEO and CISPA President Dane Jasper visits the FCC in Washington DC to argue the case for continued competitive broadband choices for consumers. More Information.

Sonic.net Power Upgrade
On January 11 - 13, Sonic.net's headquarters in Santa Rosa underwent a significant upgrade in power capacity. For more information, see our January 2005 Power Upgrade summary and gallery.

Sonic.net Files Comments with the FCC
Sonic.net on December 20th filed comments (PDF) at the FCC in response to BellSouth's request to exclude independent ISPs from access to DSL. Sonic.net is very concerned that if BellSouth is allowed to re-monopolize the telecommunications market, and if SBC follows this precedent, virtually all consumers in California will be left with just two choices for broadband: SBC/Yahoo or Comcast. More Information.

Sonic.net Holiday Party
On December 17th, the new Sonic.net logo was unveiled at our annual Holiday Party at the Santa Rosa Golf & Country Club. We would like to thank our customers and staff for a wonderful year, and hope that you like the new look as much as we do.

FrontPage Extensions Updated
Microsoft FrontPage is the leading client package for website publishing. The new FrontPage Extension Tool allows Sonic.net customers to set up and manage FrontPage support. The FrontPage 2002 and 2003 packages are both supported. See our Member Tools to enable FrontPage support for your website - look for "Install FrontPage Extensions" under the Domain Name Services heading. Click here for more information.

Dane Jasper Re-elected President of CISPA
The California ISP Association has once again selected Sonic.net co-founder and CEO Dane Jasper as its president. For more information, see www.cispa.org.

Sonic.net Accelerator
Speed up your dialup connection and surf web pages at enhanced speeds with the Sonic.net Accelerator.

Sonic.net acquires Monitor.net
We would like to welcome Monitor.net's community of Internet users to Sonic.net! For more information, including a letter from Jeff Elliott and Dane Jasper, see www.monitor.net.

Sonic.net Turns 10
Ten years ago, on July 26, 1994, Sonic.net was born. This weekend, we celebrated at Marine World and had a blast! Thank you all for ten great years; we look forward to ten more! See the Pictures

Sonic.net Datacenter Dossier
The July issue of Ping! Zine features a look at the Sonic.net facilities. Take a look at our Datacenter Dossier (426KB PDF) or ask for a copy at your local newstand.

Gigabit Fiber Deployed
Today construction began on our new gigabit fiber backhaul to 200 Paul Street in San Francisco. This is the fourth fiber connection to our Santa Rosa datacenter.

Sonic.net Founders speak at first MendoLUG meeting
Sonic.net founders Dane Jasper and Scott Doty spoke before an assembly of Linux enthusiasts, gurus, and novices on May 19th at the Hampton Inn in Ukiah.
Meeting summary
MendoLUG.net

Sonic.net in the news
Sonic.net was recently featured in the Press Democrat's Business Section, in a piece highlighting antispam efforts, including the Bayesian Analysis technology in our upcoming SpamAssassin revision. Read the full article for more information.

Sonic.net Holiday Party
On December 19th, Sonic.net held its annual Holiday Party. We would like to thank our customers and staff for a wonderful year. Photos Available.

SpamAssassin Flexes its Muscles
During December the Sonic.net anti-spam servers have seen a lot of action. We have seen a progressive escalation in the number of unsolicited bulk e-mail transmissions since the adoption of SpamAssassin and Graymail, and we are pleased (or disgusted, perhaps) to announce that 80-90% of messages analyzed by SpamAssassin are being held. More details available here.

Sonic.net on Channel 50
On November 25, Channel 50's Jim McBride did a piece on the Sonic.net success story. Copies of the broadcast are available at Channel 50 folder.

Hotspot Hosting Available
Sonic.net Hotspots make wireless internet access available at no additonal fee for existing customers. Host your own Hotspot and receive up to $9.47 per user. See our Hosting a Hotspot page for information on how to get paid to share your Sonic.net DSL connection.

Hotspots Configuration instructions are available for using existing access points.

Customers' Rides gallery active
Sonic.net will be publicly displaying customer-submitted photographs of their vehicles with the stylish new "Work Play Surf" license plate frames. Visit the Customers' Rides gallery to take a look.

License Plate Holders Available Stop by Sonic.net's office and install your own Sonic.net License Plate Frame today!

Sonic.net celebrates 9th Anniversary
Sonic.net staff met up at Safari West this weekend for a tour and barbeque to celebrate our 9th anniversary. Sonic.net was originally registered as a domain name by Dane Jasper and Scott Doty on July 26th, 1994. Photo Gallery

Sonic.net Wireless in the news
A recent Press Democrat article features the speed, flexibility, and versatility of wireless access as provided by Sonic.net. Including write-ups of our Occidental and Graton wireless networks, as well as other related projects. This article gives a glimpse of how wireless is bringing high-speed Internet to remote areas. For more information about Sonic.net wireless, please see our Broadlink, Wireless Broadband Access, and HotSpots informational pages.

IPv6 Tunnelling Enabled
Add over 281 Trillion IP addresses to your local network with IPv6 tunnelling. Available through the Sonic.net Member Tools. More information about IPv6 can be found at Google.

StartTLS on New Mail Cluster
Sonic.net's new mail servers support SMTP Auth and StartTLS for outbound email. This will enable customers to use our mail servers from outside connections securely. StartTLS Information

SpamAssassin & Graymail Launched
Sonic.net is ramping up its antispam efforts with the release of SpamAssassin and Graymail, two tools that in conjunction will reduce incoming spam tremendously.

SpamAssassin evaluates mail on its way in, looking for spam-like characteristics. Graymail intercepts your spam and holds it for later review. Enable SpamAssassin on your Sonic.net account today at https://sonic.sonic.net/membertools/spamcan/

More Info...