Governor endorses OpenCape broadband project By Antoinette Pizzi BOSTON — Gov. Deval Patrick has sent a letter to federal officials saying that OpenCape, a plan to provide extensive broadband infrastructure to the Cape and Islands, is a top priority to receive federal funding. Writing to the Broadband Technology Opportunities Program, a federal program established to distribute federal funding from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, Patrick explained that OpenCape would fulfill the needs of people who work and live in the region. The Cape "has some minimal services that are not available in rural areas, but it does not have the telecommunications infrastructure it needs to survive and thrive," Patrick wrote. The OpenCape Corp. has applied for a $32 million grant from the federal program. The cost of the entire project is $40 million. The Massachusetts Broadband Institute is funding $5 million; RCN Metro Optical Networks is funding $2 million and Barnstable County is funding $1 million. Patrick also recommended broadband programs in Western Massachusetts and a number of programs in Boston. "Western Massachusetts is where our digital divide is most acute," Patrick wrote. The Massachusetts Broadband Institute, a state agency, "is particularly well-positioned to quickly implement its plan and effect the most immediate impact in the area where our need is greatest." Members of the Cape's Statehouse delegation, who sent a letter to the governor last week in support of the OpenCape project, applauded Patrick's move. "This clearly improves our situation dramatically," said state Sen. Robert O'Leary, D-Barnstable. "The OpenCape project is one of the most important economic development tools that we have available to us," said state Rep. Sarah Peake, D-Provincetown. Patrick's letter will be evaluated by the National Telecommunication Information Association, which has received $28 billion in requests vying for $1.6 billion to fund projects nationally. The federal agency is expected to announce funding recipients next month. |