ALBANY, NY--(Marketwired - Dec 9, 2015) - FirstLight Fiber, a facilities-based telecommunications service provider operating in Upstate New York and Northern New England, announced today that The Vermont Teddy Bear Co., the largest handcrafter of teddy bears in North America, has selected FirstLight's fiber-based, high-speed Internet services for its corporate headquarters in Shelburne, VT. FirstLight's dedicated 100 Mbps connection will support The Vermont Teddy Bear Co.'s business operations and represents a significant upgrade to the company's prior Internet service provider.

"Our company is seasonal-based; any loss of communications during this busy time would have a huge negative financial impact," commented Darren Brochu, Director of Business Information & Technology for The Vermont Teddy Bear Co. "FirstLight delivers a service that is fast and reliable. Many jobs depend on the business we do, particularly at this time of year with the holiday season upon us. Our Internet and phone services are our main point of contact for operations, and it is critical that we have optimal connectivity."

FirstLight's Northeast Internet transit is backed by a combination of Tier 1 provider connections and numerous private peering connections, reducing hop count and improving overall user experience. Fifty percent of Internet traffic traversing FirstLight's IP network is directly connected to the ultimate destination, reducing latency and improving response time. To ensure high uptime, FirstLight's IP network employs redundant equipment, connections, and power supplies.

"The Vermont Teddy Bear Co. is locally owned and operated, and notably one of the top-rated companies on the Internet. FirstLight is thrilled to provide this unique, award-winning organization with a solid communications infrastructure that enables them to successfully serve hundreds of thousands of customers around the world," commented Kurt Van Wagenen, President and Chief Executive Officer for FirstLight Fiber. "We are committed to fostering strong, long standing relationships with the businesses we serve. Ensuring that our network provides the redundancy, scalability and security, that companies like The Vermont Teddy Bear Co. need to fulfill its customer service and operations, is a paramount goal of FirstLight."

To learn how more about FirstLight's full range of products, visit http://www.firstlight.net/products/.

About FirstLight Fiber

FirstLight Fiber, headquartered in Albany, NY, provides fiber optic data, Internet, data center and voice services to enterprise and carrier customers in Upstate New York and Northern New England with connectivity to Canada utilizing its own fiber optic network, which spans over 225,000 fiber miles connecting in excess of 1,800 lit locations with an additional 10,000 locations within close proximity to the FirstLight fiber network. FirstLight offers a robust suite of advanced telecommunications products, including dedicated Internet access, Ethernet, data center services, dark fiber and voice services including SIP trunks, virtual PBX, and traditional TDM solutions. FirstLight's clientele includes national cellular providers and CLECs and many leading enterprises, spanning high tech manufacturing and research, hospitals and healthcare, banking and financial, secondary education, colleges and universities, and local and state governments. FirstLight is a portfolio company of Boston-based private equity firm Riverside Partners.

To learn more about FirstLight, visit www.firstlight.net, or follow the company on Twitter and LinkedIn.

About The Vermont Teddy Bear Co.

Vermont Teddy Bear, the largest handcrafter of Teddy Bears in North America, lovingly designs, stuffs and stitches every Bear in Vermont. For a one-of-a-kind gift that's just as unique as the recipient, every Vermont Teddy Bear can be customized to fit a special life event, occasion or holiday. Orders can be placed over the phone with the help of a friendly Bear Counselor® (1.800.829.BEAR); online at www.VermontTeddyBear.com and via mail-order catalog.