MOORESVILLE – MI-Connection Communications System, the local television and internet network owned by the towns of Davidson and Mooresville, was expected to unveil a new website today (Monday, Nov. 1) with a goal of improving service for existing customers and making it easier for prospective customers to learn about its services.

Screen shot of the new MI-Connection Website

The new design at www.mi-connection.com simplifies the site and tries to reduce the number of clicks required to find key information, marketing manager Ellen Baker said Monday.

“Our goal was to be more consumer friendly, easier to navigate, easier to get the information they need without having to through too many click-throughs,” Ms. Baker said.

She also said the revised look meshes with the company’s recent branding – both in terms of its look and messages. It includes new interactive tools to let consumers compare pricing packages, she said. And she said it will have a community section to showcase its community sponsorships and other activities in the towns of Mooresville, Davidson and Cornelius.

NEW TOOLS

MI-Connection said the redesign was based in part on feedback from current customers. It includes:

• The Bundle Builder – an interactive tool to help customers choose a bundle of services.
• Complete channel lineups and TV listings
• A Cable vs. DSL Speed Test

In a press release, general manager Alan Hall said: “We are confident that the new site will give customers a better online experience and provide them with the information they need in a fun and exciting way.”

MI-Connection website before redesign.

FACING COMPETITION

The redesign comes as the company struggles to hold on to cable TV customers while at the same time growing its newer businesses in high-speed internet and telephone.

The company faces intense competition from satellite TV providers, telephone companies that offer similar services and rivals who are attempting to win customers at the edges of its Lake Norman-area territory. This summer, officials unveiled a new “community-focused” marketing strategy that they hoped would boost growth and help generate revenues need to pay off tens of millions of dollars of debt.

Davidson and Mooersville borrowed $92.5 million in 2007-8 to buy and upgrade the MI-Connection network. The state-of-the-art network now offers more channels; digital, on-demand and high-definition TV; and faster internet speeds than most competitors offer. But so far, customer growth has not taken off as predicted. Both towns are subsidizing the system’s operations, at a cost of $6.5 million this year.