Fiber-optic high speed internet service could be available to Alford sooner than I had previously anticipated. The following proposed warrant will be discussed by our Board Of Selectmen very soon. This does not mean that we will get the service immediately, but it will get our foot in the door for fiber-optic internet service once it becomes available…
The Western Massachusetts Community Fiber Network, representing citizens in more than 30 towns in
Berkshire, Franklin, Hampden and Hampshire counties, has studied how to make high-speed Internet
access available to every household and business in our rural towns and has concluded that a universallyaccessible,
municipally-owned fiber-optic network, open to all providers, is the best solution. We believe
that local incumbents, such as Comcast and Verizon, will never expand significantly to reach unserved
customers and will certainly never deliver universal coverage. Building it ourselves is our only
alternative.
A joint, publicly-owned entity among towns should be formed.
This warrant article requests that our town Select Board consider entering into an agreement with other
western Massachusetts towns to create a jointly-owned municipal entity. This entity will fully develop the
business and economic model, secure appropriate financing through private and/or public sources,
contract the design, construction and operation of the network, and own the network assets – all under the
supervision of the participating towns. The network will be managed in the interests of our town’s citizens
and will be fiscally responsible, transparent, and financially self-sustaining. Furthermore, after debts are
paid off, profits will be divided proportionately among the member towns.
A fiber optic network is vastly superior to other telecommunications technologies.
After considering other technologies, including DSL, cable, and wireless broadband, we have concluded
that a fiber-optic network is technically superior because it is the only infrastructure that has the capacity
to handle the increasing requirements of modern applications today, and its capacity is expandable for the
foreseeable future. Fiber optic technology provides the fastest internet service possible, and offers the best
value in terms of longevity, utility and ability to provide universal coverage. A fiber optic network will
not only provide competitively priced, high quality internet, telephone and television services but a host
of other services such as interactive video, telemedicine and more. The network infrastructure is robust
and experts put its lifespan at 40 years or more. Similar municipally-owned fiber optic networks are
successfully operating in many communities across the country.
The proposed network will be universal and open.
We believe that network services should be made available within member towns to every home and
business in town that wants service. No other provider is committed to this objective and alternative
systems such as DSL, cable and wireless cannot ensure universal availability. Moreover, our
municipally-owned network will be an open network which will allow multiple providers to offer an array
of services and content for subscribers at competitive prices.
WARRANT ARTICLE
To see if the Town will vote to enter into immediate discussions with other Western Massachusetts
municipalities with the intent of entering an inter-municipal agreement, by and through the Select Board*,
pursuant to Chapter 40, Section 4A of the Massachusetts General Laws, for the purpose of establishing a
universal, open access, financially self-sustaining communication system for the provision of broadband
service, including high-speed Internet access, telephone and cable television to the residents, businesses
and institutions of these municipalities; or act in relation thereto.
* Board of Selectmen in those towns in which the Board is so referred to.