Wired West Continues Push For Hilltown Access

By Nichole DupontiBerkshires Staff
06:20PM / Monday, April 18, 2011Print Story | Email Story

GREAT BARRINGTON, Mass. — There's no doubt that visitors find the Berkshires a charming, bucolic slice of New England life. In fact, much of Western Massachusetts relies on its rustic charm to generate much-needed economic dollars.

While visitors from Boston, New York and all parts of the globe are drawn to a rural life dotted with major cultural venues, not many will want to set up shop here nor will many young people want to stay in their native hilltowns, says Monica Webb.

The reason, said Webb, co-chairman and spokeswoman for WiredWest, is that this side of the state is not wired for the present, much less the future. Many hilltowns in the area still do not have access to a high-speed, high-volume Internet connection, making online business and communication next to impossible.

Webb herself should know. As a Monterey resident, she relies on a satellite connection for her Internet access. More often than not, having a reliable connection is a gamble for her and thousands of area residents.

"I do have satellite and although I hear a lot from people that the weather affects their connection, that's less of an issue for me than the integrity of the system itself," she said in a phone interview. "If it goes out, they have to send a technician out to fix it and that can take up to a week. I've had to sit on the steps of the library twice a day to send and receive emails and I know I'm not the only one who's doing this. Even with the satellite, I've had to send three separate emails to people because a file was too big. This is really no way to conduct a business."

Webb's quest for reliable Internet is not one that she is making alone. Thus far, WiredWest, a community cooperative with the mission of designing, building and operating a last-mile, open-access, community-owned, fiber-optic network, has been given the nod by 47 towns (via special town meeting votes) to continue to fight for a network that includes Internet, phone and cable access. The town of Florida is amount them. Webb said she is confident that many of the towns will approve the necessary second vote at annual town meetings next month.

"We've got 47 towns that have opted to join the organization and have been part of the discussions," she said. "Of those, about 30 are actively pursuing the government structure required to join Wired West, which requires two votes at two town meetings. In July, we will have the meeting to form our cooperative and we're hoping that at least a couple of dozen towns will join after that. We already have our recommended articles of incorporation and bylaws so that once this is formed it can be acted on quickly."

Fiber Now! New video of Western Mass residents on the need for a fiber-to-the-home network: from Tim Newman on Vimeo.

While Webb has no definite timeline as to how and when WiredWest will go about the task of setting up its foundational lines, she said time, especially in an economy that relies so heavily on Internet communication, is of the essence for every facet of the Berkshire community.

"If I were to break this down into four key factors I would say that regional economic development, education, health care and making sure our populations remain diverse are our top priorities," she said. "It's not easy for someone of my age [early 40s] to understand how important having Internet communication is to education. It's critical for students in our area. We don't want to be a step behind other schools."

Webb is not the only one to attest to the critical need for access in schools and for local business owners. Wired West has compiled a 17-minute video filled with interviews from all sectors of the Berkshire economy. Teachers, real estate agents, students and nonprofit leaders each attest to the necessity of broadband and the ramifications of not being able to offer it to potential homebuyers, visitors and businesses.

"The network is the new currency of the business world," she said. "If we wait for companies to leave before we realize how much we need it, than it's too late. All over the country site selection specialists have two things that they look for first — labor and does the region have a fiber network. I know that people wonder why we can't just use wireless instead but there are many physical limitations of sending data through the air.

"I try to tell people, imagine that you are at the top of a hill with two pails of water and you want the water to go to the bottom of the hill. Dump one directly on the ground and then pour another down a pipe that is running downhill. That's the difference between fiber and wireless. And besides, fiber sets the foundation for wireless. Wireless will never have the capacity to run a business."

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PCTV Celebrates 40th Anniversary with Community

By Breanna SteeleiBerkshires Staff
06:00PM / Tuesday, September 22, 2026

PITTSFIELD, Mass. – Many fans, workers, past workers, and city officials gathered at the Berkshire Hills Country Club Friday night to celebrate Pittsfield Community Television turning 40.

The room was alive with people eating, laughing, taking photos in a photo booth and watching snippets from PCTV's past archived programs throughout the decades curated by Operations Manager Dave Cachet.

President of the Board of Directors Sue Doucette acknowledged everyone in attendance and thanked the volunteers who help or have helped bring PCTV to the screen.

She reflected on how much technology has changed since 1986 and on PCTV's role in covering parades, debates and election-night precinct results

"You heard it and saw it yourself, and you can interpret it your way. Not everybody has this, but we in Berkshire County do, and we need to be forever grateful to the people that have come before us and made this possible. So, for me personally, I love the staff at PCTV and the board members. I never begrudge going to a meeting. I like these people," she said.

Executive Director Shawn Serre said he feels as though this is their "Eras Tour," referencing Taylor Swift's record-breaking concert series. He reminisced about PCTV's eras.

"The first of our eras is the founders' era, that time when this was just an idea tossed around among colleagues with various skills and with an interest in creating a local source of television, but with no funding, no equipment, no facility, no staff, no volunteers other than themselves," he said.

He said the next era starts with PCTV's move to Fourth Street. At this point, they named their first executive director Garrett McCarey and built their first facility at 163 Fourth Street. They made community connections, programs, and learned the ropes, he said, adding that they "pushed the boundaries of what public access could accomplish".

He said the next era is their Federico era, led by former Executive Director Bernard Avalle and changing technology.

"Under his leadership, we moved our entire facility from the old building to a custom-built studio and offices. We expanded from one cable channel to three. We went from analog to digital to high definition," Cachet said. " We went from videotapes to DVDs to video servers and files. We had as many as seven staff members and grew the program. We designed and purchased a mobile production truck. We covered so many meetings, so many meetings. Viewers would look to us with trust on election nights, onn the Fourth of July, at sports events, and at special events. We have become a part of the fabric of life in Pittsfield."

And finally, the multi-platform era.

"Otherwise known as everything, everywhere, all at once. That's what it feels like. It's when we expanded our reach by saving WTBR FM from the wrecking ball and operating it. When we greatly expanded our PCTV sports program of live broadcasts from just about anywhere, we couldn't have imagined being able to do that early on," he said. "It's when, in the depths of the pandemic, we not only continued our regular broadcast and never stopped, but we also launched PCTV Select to provide high-quality video streams, live streams, and video on demand worldwide. When we started Park Square Productions to provide high-quality production services to clients and contribute to our mission."

He said their next era is still being shaped and will need the community to help.

"The next era, well, that one has to be shaped by you, by all of us actually, because after 40 years, we realize the only constant is change, and we know that while cable TV is at the moment still our sugar daddy, it won't be around forever," Cachet said. "But we know how important the kinds of services that we provide are, and the demand to not disappear."

Rep. Tricia Farley Bouvier said local journalism is important and will save democracy. She presented PCTV a citation from the state House of Representatives signed by her and the Speaker of the House.

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