Sluggish Web's death knell

Berkshire Eagle
By Trevor Jones

Wednesday July 27, 2011

SANDISFIELD -- Gov. Deval L. Patrick announced on Tuesday that construction has begun on the $71.6 million fiber-optic network that will bring high-speed Internet access to underserved communities in Berkshire County.

"At long last the digital divide in Massachusetts is about to close," said Patrick following a meeting with the Massachusetts Broadband Institute (MBI) at the Sandisfield Fire Station. The MBI is overseeing the network's construction.

The fire station is one of nearly 1,400 anchor institutions that will have a direct connection to the 1,338-mile MassBroadband 123 network that will serve as the backbone for providing broadband access to this area.

The network received federal approval in March. It will provide high-speed Internet access to rural residents, businesses and municipal buildings in more than 120 underserved communities in Western and North Central Massachusetts by 2013. Construction of the network is also expected to bring hundreds of jobs to this area.

Patrick referred to the project as part of a "generational responsibility" that will provide opportunities for future generations through municipal responsibilities, education, access to health care and job growth.

State Rep. William "Smitty" Pignatelli, D-Lenox, said the network will be the key to local revitalization efforts.

"We are losing population because we are losing opportunity," said Pignatelli. "Let's reverse that trend and get going."

While the network will connect to institutions like schools, public safety facilities and libraries, providing secondary or "last-mile" connections to homes and businesses will be financed through a mixture of grant funding and private investment. The secondary connections are expected to come on line at the same time as the network in July 2013, state officials said.

Monica Webb, co-chair of the steering committee for WiredWest, a collection of Western Massachusetts municipalities that are seeking their own last-mile solutions, said the fiber-optic network is a great investment. However, Webb said there are profit-margin issues in some underserved areas that may prevent private firms from providing high-quality access to broadband.

"This really needs to be done on a municipal basis because you don't have the profit requirements," said Webb. "You can borrow money at a low cost and repay it over a much longer period of time, which makes it feasible to serve everyone."

State Sen. Benjamin Downing, D-Pittsfield, said there is no simple solution to make the project cost-effective for every area of Western Massachusetts, nor is there a single technology that will work for all areas because of topographical and financial challenges. A diverse set of solutions is required, Downing added, but he is confident it will coincide with the network's completion.

"I'm 110 percent confident that we will have a robust, future-proof network here in Western Massachusetts that quite frankly will be the source of much envy for the folks in eastern Massachusetts," Downing said.