Leaders discuss new options for Internet
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SPRINGFIELD, Massachusetts (WSHM) — Councilors from across western Mass. came together Monday to hammer out what it’ll take to bring affordable high-speed internet to their communities.
Joined by a panel of industry experts, the focus of Monday night’s discussions was municipal-owned fiber-optic internet networks, where the local government would be responsible for owning and providing the service.
“The option is that the municipality actually owns the infrastructure. By owning the infrastructure, they also have other alternatives. They have the choice to lease our or choose internet service providers to operate within that infrastructure that the city or municipality actually owns. That’s a key piece because it makes it competitive it keeps the price within a great price range.” Omnipoint Technology President Timothy Paul said.
Many communities in western Mass. have been weighing the option of providing their own internet after the backlash of Comcast’s data caps during the height of the pandemic that could have impacted what many are calling a new necessity.
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