You know what they say: If you want something done properly, do it yourself. Two brothers-in-law based out of Saline, Michigan, appear to have embraced this principle fully. After enduring frustrations with Comcast for high-speed internet, they decided to establish their own ISP.

After experiencing slow upload speeds and perceiving an unreliable connection from Comcast’s Xfinity service, Samuel Herman—a Saline resident and Chief Operating Officer of his father’s business—sought an alternative. Noticing that no fiber ISP was present to compete with Comcast in his area, he partnered with his brother-in-law, Alexander Baciu, to create a service focused on being a cheaper and more reliable option.

“All throughout my life pretty much, I’ve had to deal with Xfinity’s bullcrap, them not being able to handle the speeds that we need,” said Herman. He recounted the frequent calls to Comcast for bandwidth issues only to receive temporary fixes.

With a background in construction, specifically in fiber line installations, the two decided to leverage their expertise to become a fiber broadband provider. “We kept on talking. We’re like, hey, we’re doing this work for other people, why not?” explained Baciu.

In August 2024, they signed contracts with a firm for IP address assignments and connectivity for ISPs and hired technicians to implement networking solutions. Just six months after launching Prime-One, they have gained over 100 customers.

Prime-One offers various plans starting from 500 Mbps for $75 a month to 5 Gbps for $110, alongside an Optical Network Terminal, modem, and router. “We are 100 percent fiber optic,” highlighted Baciu. They pride themselves on providing underground fiber cables to ensure reliability.

As the company continues to grow, they are currently able to support around 1,500 homes in Saline and are planning to expand services to 4,000 homes including multi-unit residential buildings.

In light of this competition, Comcast has mentioned upgrading their network in the area as part of a broader national enhancement. As for the future, Herman stated that they have plans they cannot disclose yet but are eager to grow further.