The Massachusetts Broadband Institute (MBI) will hold a public hearing Thursday, to get feedback from town officials on six commercial proposals to bring last-mile broadband to western Massachusetts.
The Feb. 16 meeting will be held in the Worthington Town Hall, 160 Huntington Road, Worthington, from 2 to 6 p.m.
Last month, MBI announced that six private companies had applied for internet technology grants to build, run and own fiber optic networks in the 40 towns that currently do not have high-speed internet access.
The purpose of this meeting is for MBI officials to hear what town officials think of the proposals, which can be found online at: broadband.masstech.org. Click on the “News and Resources” link.
Selectboard members and broadband designees are asked to RSVP to MBI Deputy Director Edmund Donnelly by email at: donnelly@masstech.org.
To accommodate as many speakers as possible, each speaker will have three minutes, and MBI is asking that each speaker submit their comments in writing. Also, written testimony from the public is welcomed and may be emailed to Donnelly at the above address.
The broadband institute’s request for proposals were for companies to build networks for up to 40 towns and apply for grant money of up to $19.6 million.
Proposals came from: Charter Communications, Comcast, Crocker Communications, Fiber Connect LLC, Mid-Hudson Data Corp., and Westfield Gas & Electric (doing business as Whip City Fiber).
Crocker Communications of Greenfield made a proposal to build out a regional fiber optic network for 38 of the unserved hilltowns, including: Ashfield, Charlemont, Colrain, Hawley, Heath, Leyden, Monroe, New Salem, Rowe, Shutesbury, Warwick and Wendell.
Whip City Fiber, an internet service branch of Westfield Gas & Electric, offered to design, engineer construct and operate a municipal network with any of the unserved towns, but didn’t specify towns or a specific grant request.
Of the 12 unserved Franklin County towns, Shutesbury and New Salem were the only towns for which other companies offered bids.
Comcast, which is already expanding cable broadband service for Buckland, Shelburne, Montague, Northfield and Conway, has proposed new service for Shutesbury, Goshen, Montgomery and Princeton.
Charter Communications of Rochester, N.Y., has offered to extend its network into Princeton, New Salem, Shutesbury, Hancock, Egremont and Monterey because “they are contiguous to our existing operations” and “represent a manageable capital outlay.” The company also believed they could “complete a build-out of these towns in a reasonable period of time.”
Fiber Connect, based in Monterey in Berkshire County, proposed broadband build out for Alford, Becket, New Marlborough, Oties, Tolland and Tyringham.
Mid Hudson Data Corp. placed a bid for the town of Tyringham only.