Lanesborough Likely to Leave Wired West With MBI, Charter Planning Expansion
LANESBOROUGH, Mass. — The Board of Selectmen are trusting Charter Communications to connect close to 100 percent of residents to broadband — essentially cutting ties with WiredWest.
The board voted during an emergency meeting Wednesday to forfeit future funding from the Massachusetts Broadband Institute and to instead allow Charter to receive a grant to build out the high-speed internet system.
Charter recently purchased Time Warner Cable and is upgrading the existing service with high-definition cable television and high-speed internet. The upgraded cable system went live on Tuesday and the internet is going live next week.
The cable provider has apparently reached an agreement with MBI to continue that internet upgrade into the remaining areas of town that are currently not serviced. Town Manager Paul Sieloff says MBI will be awarding a grant soon to Charter to perform that work — but a vote of the Selectmen is required.
"We are putting our faith in the hands of MBI to require they do the build out. MBI's standard is 96 percent. That's their minimum," Sieloff said.
The Selectmen said there may end up being a few homes still not getting service by that measurement but they estimate right now only 80 percent of the town is serviced. A Charter official told the board last week that the current project will cover 90 and the MBI grant would allow the final 10 percent to be connected.
Sieloff was told on Monday that MBI was closing in on a deal that has not been disclosed yet, but needed a vote of the Board of Selectmen. On Wednesday, Sieloff said MBI officials told him the grant was in jeopardy and that the emergency meeting was to get the approval done.
The move does signal the likely end to the town's participation in WiredWest, a collaboration of towns planning to build out and operate a high-speed internet system. Town meeting has approved the spending of $1,700 each year for the last few years to be part of that collaborative but now it appears Lanesborough will likely end its membership.
"The way I read that is that we could never expect to be part of WiredWest because if they give money to WiredWest, they give it per town. So what they are saying is that if we give you money to build this out we will not give you money later if you stay in WiredWest. It makes sense in the large scheme of things. We don't need money from WiredWest for a large buildout," Sieloff said.
Late last year MBI pulled the funds from WiredWest unless it came up with a new business plan. MBI was created in 2008 with $40 million to invest in expanding broadband. Earlier this year, Gov. Charlie Baker put a halt to the entire program for review. A few weeks later, a brand-new MBI board was appointed and a number of changes were made for the use of the funds.
The shake-up caused trouble for WiredWest, which ultimately delayed the work.
"In the last year or so WiredWest really struggled to move forward," Sieloff said. "They don't seem to be getting any traction at all."
The new changes implemented by the Baker administration opens the door for such an agreement with Charter to expand. Three towns in the Berkshires with cable — West Stockbridge, Lanesborough, and Hinsdale — will see upgrades through Charter. Agreements between MBI and Charter for those towns are likely.
For Lanesborough, it has been too long. Sieloff said while he doesn't agree with the concept of using state funds to essentially grow a customer base for a private company, he's willing to accept it in order to bring internet to the entire town.
"After 30 years, if we can get 96 percent, we hit a home run," Sieloff said.
Internet access has been a long struggle in the rural parts of Massachusetts but has been cited as a major driver of business activity and residential home values. The creation of MBI led to a fiber-optic network being built out across the state connecting anchor locations such as town halls and schools to what is called the "middle mile." The last mile has been the struggle.
Tags: broadband, charter communications, Internet, MBI,
