Initially, there was a close relationship. WiredWest lobbied for and got the Legislature to approve the Last Mile effort that now funds MBI. At first, the two organizations worked together and planned a regional network that MBI would build and WiredWest would own and operate on behalf of the member towns. MBI later rejected WiredWest’s plan in favor of individual town networks. MBI has been working with towns on building individual networks while leaving the eventual operation of them up to the towns. Since many towns would benefit from regional operation, WiredWest has refocused it’s efforts on post-construction operation and maintenance of networks. In it’s most recent Last Mile Policy, MBI acknowledges the benefits of regional collaboration and leaves it up to the towns, however other aspects of the policy may need some adjustment to be conducive to regional operation.
WiredWest has reached out to MBI on more than one occasion to work collaboratively on a regional plan, however MBI has shown no interest so far.