Leverett, Shutesbury OK plan to bring cable to towns: Will offer Internet, TV, e-mail service
Richie Davis
Senior Staff Writer
The Recorder
Greenfield, MA.
January 21, 2004

SHUTESBURY - A year-long effort by the towns of Leverett and Shutesbury has settled on a plan to bring a fiber-optic network to both towns, which at this point don’t even have access to cable TV.

The proposal, agreed to by the Shutesbury-Leverett Broadband Group, calls for building a $3-to-5- million fiber-optic network within two to four years to bring enhanced phone, computer and television services to the 1,800 households. The group hopes to apply for a Rural Utility Service Grant from the U.S. Department to provide 80 percent of the capital for the system, which would be built and maintained by an outside vendor. The group, with members appointed by the two towns last April, is seeking Community Development Block Grant or other funding to hire someone to write a grant application complete with documentation about needs of the communities, according to Chairman Aron Goldman. But he emphasized that it will not seek any funding from the towns themselves In fact, once the system is up and running, with projections of serving 1,100 households, it could generate nearly $5 million in gross revenues, available either to the towns, for upgrades or to reduce user fees to the residents, said Goldman. “This is going to be a benefit for everybody,” he said.

According to the study panel, which looked at dozens of proposals, and saw Comcast and Verizon back off because of the small profit potential, residents would be offered three levels of service starting at $40 a month, which would include 3 megabit Internet service, or twice the speed of cable, with two e-mail accounts and basic broadcast TV channels over cable. Premium offerings would add voice-over-Internet phone service, unlimited long distance and additional cable channels. Nearly 150 households have expressed interest in the service, Goldman said.

“We’ve really got a huge business sector hidden away in Shutesbury and Leverett,” he said. “That’s going to be the future of the economy around here.” But he said that part of the initiative is also to provide for improved telephone and Internet access at the schools, libraries, town halls and emergency operations in the two towns.