15 Feb MassLive: Municipal broadband won’t deliver for Massachusetts residents
By Tim Wilkerson
The recent article reporting that the town of Agawam will begin considering whether to build a government-owned broadband network skates over the serious risks of such projects. Before Agawam weighs this step, it’s worth considering the failed record of municipal networks and the risk they present to local taxpayers.
Private broadband providers spend hundreds of millions of dollars annually to continuously innovate and invest in new technology, more network capacity, security and resiliency. These networks have been engineered with significant excess capacity to manage unexpected shifts in usage. As a result, private broadband networks are performing well and meeting the increased demand for services during the pandemic.
Additionally, broadband providers in Massachusetts have worked diligently to ensure people stay connected by waiving late fees, pledging to not terminate service, adding thousands of free Wifi hotspots, investing more than $1 billion to help low-income individuals get connected, and partnering with communities to provide subsidized high-speed internet service at no cost to students or their families.