While local Realtor representatives (Franz Forster, Tom Doyle, Tim Lovett, Maureen McFarland and Sandy Carroll) have been fighting for Broadband on the local and state level, we hail good news coming out of the Massachusetts Broadband Institute. MBI announced that Charter Communications met the qualifications to get state money to build an internet network in three Berkshire towns: Egremont, Monterey, and Hancock. Each town must now vote to accept the proposal, and there is some uncertainty around whether the project will go forward if only some of the towns accept. Charter officials have said they would complete the entire network within two and a half years, and customers could be hooked up earlier than that as sections of the network are completed.
According to Masslive.com, Peter Larkin, board chairman of the Massachusetts Broadband Institute, said there is no perfect solution, but the institute is committed to helping each town find the best possible project. “We’re going to stumble, and we’re going to be successful,” Larkin said. “This administration is committed to this cause.” Last year, Gov. Charlie Baker’s administration revamped the state’s “Last Mile” broadband program and brought Larkin on to oversee it. The goal of the program is to bring high-speed internet connectivity to 40 rural towns in Western Massachusetts that do not have it.