Dialing up broadband

Continued from front page

The Joint Committee sent the legislation to the House Ways and Means Committee on May 1; it also increased the initial proposed $25 million in bond funding by $15 million.

The new fund will be used to bring broadband to the un-served communities of the Commonwealth.

Thirty-two towns in Massachusetts currently have no broadband access whatsoever and, as a result, area students and businesses face a significant disadvantage in today’s global, knowledge-based economy. An additional 63 communities are partially served, with broadband available only in certain areas of the community.

The journey of the broadband bill, redrafted as House Bill No. 4715, now appears to be moving forward with some momentum. It promises to provide a sound, affordable solution for bringing broadband services to the people and businesses of the Commonwealth who cannot get it today.

• Mass. Gov. Deval Patrick announced plans for the new Broadband Fund in August 2007.
• The governor filed “An Act Establishing and Funding the Massachusetts Broadband Institute” on Oct. 18, 2007.
• The matter was referred to the Joint Committee on Bonding, Capital Expenditures, and State Assets on Dec. 21, 2007. 
• The bill received a public hearing on Feb. 14, 2008. 

At the February hearing, busloads of concerned citizens packed the room to hear Governor Patrick, Daniel O’Connell, the Secretary of the Executive Office of Housing and Economic Development, Jay Gonzalez, the Undersecretary for the Executive Office of Administration and Finance, and Sharon Gillett, Commissioner at the Department of Telecommunications and Cable, all speak forcefully in favor of the legislation. (Read Commissioner Gillett’s testimony.)

No opposition was voiced to the bill, and many spoke of the immense urgency to bring broadband deployment to the un-served citizens of western Massachusetts.

Speaking about the progress of the legislation, Rep. Daniel Bosley, Chair of the Joint Committee on Economic Development and Emerging Technologies, said, "There is great enthusiasm for expanding broadband access to underserved and un-served communities throughout the state. Access to affordable broadband services is a critical dimension of 21st century economic development—it provides a level playing field for students, residents, and businesses in Massachusetts by opening the door to an enormous amount of information and resources. It is vital for us, as state leaders, to make this happen as soon as we possibly can."

Senator Stan Rosenberg of Amherst, a continued champion of broadband efforts in western Massachusetts, also spoke to the promise of the legislation. “The Governor and the western Massachusetts delegation have been working closely on this critical economic development issue,” he said. “We are hoping that the broadband bill will be enacted in this legislative session.”