[Hidden-tech] Latest on Wired West and the town with partial access

[Rich Roth]

*WiredWest, cable towns seek common ground*

*
By DIANE BRONCACCIO Recorder Staff*

BUCKLAND --- WiredWest member towns with limited broadband access 
through Comcast may form a "Cable Town Caucus," to work together to 
ensure full high-speed Internet access within their borders.

The idea was proposed by Daniel Lieberman of Shelburne last week, at a 
Shelburne Falls meeting called by WiredWest, the regional cooperative 
that is working to bring highspeed Internet to all towns in western Mass.

WiredWest officials wanted to hear how it could help six "cable towns" 
that are ineligible for state and federal funds earmarked for high-speed 
fiber-optic broadband in towns with no commercial Internet service.

"What you can bring to the table is political clout," said Shelburne 
Selectman John Payne. "Six towns complaining can only make a 
certainamount of noise. But 42 towns together have more clout," he said 
referring to the WiredWest member towns. "How are (Buckland and 
Shelburne cable committee members) going to explain at annual town 
meeting why we should make another $1,000 (WiredWest) contribution next 
year?"

"Are the unserved and the partially served in competition?" he added.

Buckland, Shelburne, Northfield, Conway, Chester and Huntington are the 
six WiredWest towns with partial high-speed Internet access, through 
Comcast Cable, but no high-speed access in large sections of town.

Buckland and Shelburne are now trying to get estimates of what itwould 
cost to build out the Comcast cable network to reach all households. 
Currently, the existing system serves roughly half their populations. 
News this summer that money in the governor's $40 million Internet 
Technology bond bill would go to the 36 "unserved" towns caused 
partially served cable towns to wonder if they should stay with 
WiredWest or go their own ways, as Leverett has done, to get wired.

But a $10 million addition to that bond bill, recently passed in the 
House of Representatives, gives new hope that some infrastructure money 
will be available as an incentive to induce Comcast to extend its lines 
even on town roads with fewerthan 15 households per mile, which has been 
the cutoff.

Robert Armstrong, chairman of Conway's Broadband Committee, said Comcast 
has extended service to about 120 properties over the past three years 
since its last contract renewal, with about 70 to 80 of those households 
signing up for Comcast service. He said some of these properties 
included fields, vacant dwellings and houses that have been put up for sale.

"Almost every house that has a family in it has purchased (cable 
service)," he said. "We started pretty leery in our dealings with 
Comcast, but they have been really great. They worked out deals with 
people with unbelievably long driveways. I really believe they want our 
business."

Armstrong said about 150 households, out of 800, still don't have cable 
access.

"Cable towns may get built-out before the other towns get whatever 
they're going to get," saidDavid Epstein, executive director of 
WiredWest. He noted that cable towns already have the infrastructure to 
build onto. He said the IT Bond Bill amendment, proposed by state Rep. 
Stephen Kulik and cosponsored by state Rep. Paul Mark and Sens. Stan 
Rosenberg and Benjamin Downing, contains roughly $5 million to be used 
to build out cable service in the six cable towns, with the additional 
$5 million to assist towns with no high-speed Internet in central 
Massachusetts.

Kulik, vice chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, said there 
is no specific wording included with the $10 million amendment. "The 
bond authorization is now specific," he said. "The primary target is 
unserved and under-served towns. In coming months, the Legislature will 
be working with the Massachusetts Broadband Institute to develop the 
'last-mile' program.



Kulik said $5 million is a rough estimate of the costs to build out the 
cable infrastructure in the unserved areas of cable towns --- but how 
the money will be used "is yet to be determined."

He said the IT bond bill will be taken up by the Senate in January.

Armstrong of Conway said he would like WiredWest's help in getting an 
independent estimate of what it would cost for Comcast to do a build-out.

"I think we need to work out a plan," said Brian Brault of Northfield. 
"We are six of 42 towns. We are WiredWest members now. Part of the plan 
is to figure out what each community's goals are. I think the idea of a 
cable caucus within WiredWest is a good idea."

Conway Town Administrator Tom Hutcheson said it would be helpful if all 
the cable towns could document their cable needs, and how many miles are 
left to be wired.

Steve Nelson of the WiredWest Executive Committee said, with potential 
state bond money available, "I think its important we have a unified 
statement, so we all speak with one voice."*

Buckland, Shelburne*

On Nov. 20, Comcast official Aaron Saunders met with the Buckland 
Internet Access Advisory Committee to share information about build-out 
costs and how many houses and how many miles are not served, according 
to Glenn Cardinal, Buckland Access Committee chairman. The "Apple 
Valley" section of Buckland is problematic for cable extension, because 
this deep valley is bordered on three sides by Ashfield, a non-cable 
town. The question is, whether Apple Valley could get broadband when 
Ashfield gets fiber-optic infrastructure, or would Comcast be allowed to 
lay connecting cable lines through part of Ashfield.

Cardinal estimates about 15 square miles of town still need to be "wired."

In Shelburne, advisory committee Chairman Michael Duffy estimates there 
are 30 "uncabled" miles in town. He said Comcast's estimated cost to 
wire these areas is about $30,000 per mile. He said that includes the 
costs for renting utility poles, getting permits, and installing the 
electronic equipment necessary. If Comcast were to pay twothirds the 
cost for sparsely populated areas, that would leave an additional 
$200,000 to $300,000 left to be paid, he said. Duffy said the town is 
about 60 square miles, and there are 203 unserved households left in a 
roughly 22.5-mile area.

You can reach Diane Broncaccio at:dbroncaccio at recorder.com 
<mailto:dbroncaccio at recorder.com>or 413-772-0261, ext. 277


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