Opinion pieces from the WiredWest point of view
Coming Soon There is a one-time $99 activation fee on all accounts.Your town’s MLP may choose to add a monthly MLP fee to help defray depreciation reserve requirements and debt service for the money borrowed to build the network. Getting Connected When you sign up for service, your town’s MLP will bring a fiber connection from the network at the road to your [...]
Who is WiredWest? Massachusetts laws allow towns to own and operate utility companies called Municipal Light Plants (MLPs). WiredWest is a Cooperative of town MLPs joining together for operational efficiencies and cost savings. The coop is governed by delegates from the member towns for the purpose of delivering high quality broadband service to all residents [...]
On February, 16, 2017 the Massachusetts Broadband Institute (MBI) held an open meeting to hear from MBI town designees and local Select board members about their thoughts regarding the results of the Private Provider RFP. The meeting took place at the Worthington, Massachusetts Town Hall. Select board members and designees wishing to speak were asked [...]
With the start of the new year, we want to thank your supporters and share with you our new plans for moving forward in 2017. As you may know, in late 2015 Governor Baker placed a ‘pause’ on all state Last Mile Broadband projects. In May 2016 the Baker Administration lifted the ‘pause’ and named [...]
MBI was initially funded and created by emergency legistlation in 2008 with a mandate to bring broadband internet service to all 45 unserved communities. Instead, they spent $80M building the MB123 middle mile to 123 communities which they claimed would attract private companies to finish the last mile. It never did and now is a hindrance to [...]
By Steve Nelson (reprinted from Berkshire Eagle, Broadband effort gets back on track, October 12, 2016 ) You will soon see work crews standing around utility poles, gazing upward. They'll not only be checking the cables on those poles, but looking as well toward the future of broadband in western Massachusetts. The long-awaited project to bring high-speed internet [...]
The WiredWest Board of Directors has unanimously approved a substantial revision to its structural framework in response to concerns expressed by some member towns and by the MBI (Massachusetts Broadband Institute). The changes in the Regional Broadband Operational Plan, as the model is now called, address three specific areas: ownership of network assets, ability of [...]
Notes from May 10, 2016 meeting between Governor Baker and invitees from Western Mass ATTENDEES: Baker Administration and state officials: Governor Baker, Lt. Governor Polito, Secretary Jay Ash, Carolyn Kirk, (Deputy Secretary of Executive Office of Housing and Economic Development), Sean Cronin (Senior Deputy Commissioner of Division of Local Services [part of DOR]), Peter Larkin (MBI), [...]
May 10 meeting between Western Mass Town Broadband representatives and the Governor Attendees: Governor Baker, Lt Gov Polito, Secretary Jay Ash, Carolyn Kirk, (Deputy Secretary of Executive Office of Housing and Economic Development), Sean Cronin (Senior Deputy Commissioner of Division of Local Services [part of DOR]), Peter Larkin (MBI), Bill Ennen (MBI), Ed Donnelly (MBI), [...]
Sign the Petition Now! Our towns are withering. Without broadband, the future of small Western Massachusetts towns is bleak... We've been living on wrong side of the digital divide for years, not able to fully participate in 21st century life and falling further behind year by year. But as last summer came into bloom, it looked like [...]