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Last Mile Broadband Initiative in Massachusetts: Connecting Unserved Towns to High-Speed Internet

Learn about the Massachusetts Broadband Institute's legislative briefing on the Last Mile project, which aims to provide broadband solutions to 53 towns in the state, including grants to municipalities and private providers.

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Last Mile Broadband Initiative in Massachusetts: Connecting Unserved Towns to High-Speed Internet

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  1. Massachusetts Broadband InstituteLegislative Briefing 4/3/2019

  2. Issue Overview • The Last Mile: To support and co-invest in broadband solutions for 53 Massachusetts towns - 44 completely unserved, 9 underserved. Program includes direct grants to municipalities and grants to private broadband providers to cover towns. • Broadband: Federal definition is a speed of 25 megabits per second (Mbps) for downloads, 3 Mbps for uploads. • Challenge: Utilize state funds to support projects which deliver broadband access to premises in rural municipalities that have low population density and high road miles. • Goal: Expand connectivity to at least 96% of premises in each town.

  3. Issue Overview • Funding Overview: Chapter 231 of the Acts of 2008 provided the initial authorization of $40M for the MBI Fund; These funds together with Federal funds built the MBI 123 Middle Mile serving 123 communities and Critical Anchor Institutions in MA. • $50M in additional State funds were authorized under Chapter 257 of the Acts of 2014; • A third authorization of $45M ($13M for MBI and a separate $32M directly provided to EOHED) was approved by Chapter 133 of the Acts of 2017.

  4. Summary • Recognizing the failures of the ‘One Size Fits All’ solution to the Last Mile, Commonwealth moved toward a ‘No Silver Bullet’ strategy, supporting two distinct approaches that boosted town choice: Direct grants for fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) municipal projects and public RFPs to spur private provider proposals. • What Didn’t Work: Due to geography and each towns’ unique financial situation, a regional FTTH network did not make sense. Ownership and leadership issues were also problematic. • What Did Work: Giving towns options. For those that can manage a municipal FTTH, EOHED Last Mile Infrastructure Grant program provides a pathway. For towns stymied by bonding and management, private provider options offer a sensible path.

  5. Last Mile – April 2016 At relaunch of Last Mile (April 2016): 53 towns - 44 completely unserved and 9 ‘partially-served’ by broadband. 28K households

  6. Last Mile Today

  7. The tapestry of pathways is matched by a tapestry of funding and contract models NOTE: The starting point for grant amounts to the towns is the original MBI allocation published for each town in ‘15 and based on desktop “Cartesian” model.

  8. Town by Town

  9. Town by Town

  10. Town by Town All Towns dependent on completion of pole applications and Make Ready in a timely manner from Verizon, National Grid, and Eversource. WG&E, the owner’s project manager for each of these 20 towns, was approved by the FCC to participate in the July 24th reverse auction. Any monies WG&E secures in this auction will be passed along to benefit the debt service to each town. WG&E notified towns unofficially that $10.3 million has been secured in CAF II money.

  11. Town by Town

  12. Last Mile Today - Lit Towns Today 20 of the 53 towns have subscribers receiving service.

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