Public Interest Network Services

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Public Interest Network Services has been operating continuously for 20 years, and currently offers a full range of voice, data and Internet products and services. In the early 1980s, Steven Gelmis, the president and founder, began assisting not-for-profit organizations seeking to maximize the benefits they derived from their telecommunications budgets. Working with restricted funds and expansive desires, he provided hundreds of not-for-profits with PBXs and key telephone systems, and organized a long distance bulk-purchasing cooperative to acquire the best communications solutions available with limited resources. Purchasing long distance service as a group reduced the cost for each member. Over the years, Public Interest has added many services in response to the needs of our clients. We analyze each request and deploy the best technology available at the time to meet that need. Rather than following a build-it-and-they-will-come business plan, the decision to add any new service at Public Interest has always been driven by two criteria: Does it offer our clients a better value than they currently receive, and can we provide the service competently and profitably? This formula, practiced consistently, has made Public Interest a very stable and enduring company. Public Interest has been profitable in every year of its existence and has no debt, making it a rarity among privately held US telecommunications company. Public Interest client base long ago expanded beyond the non-profit sector, however, the philosophy and mission that brought it into existence, continues to guide it today. We purchase telecommunication services in bulk from several major carriers. From this pool of resources, we configure and manage the best combination of voice, data and Internet services for each client. Every aspect of the service is managed by Public Interest engineers with decades of experience spanning three generations of telephone and data technology. Public Interest is a true local exchange carrier, not a Verizon reseller. Our client telephone calls and Internet traffic travel through Public Interest routers and switches. Our primary facility, at 50 West 17th Street, is connected via three different fiber networks to multiple carriers for voice calls, and multiple Tier-1 Internet backbone operators. We are protected against power failure by a full-scale UPS and generator backup.