Located just south of the Vermont border, five towns in rural Massachusetts have worked together to stay connected. As The Recorder reports, Colrain, Charlemont, Heath, Leyden and Rowe have created a broadband network that is set to go live by the end of June. The communities will employ three backhauls and a shared 10-gigabyte circuit connection aimed at increasing redundancy and reducing outages.
At the moment, the towns each have independent broadband networks with no incorporated redundancy. All of the towns connect to the state’s Middle Mile Network, which, in theory, fosters connectivity. However, if the Middle Mile connection is disrupted, outlying towns can find themselves without service.
“All the towns in western Massachusetts basically had one route that the backhaul was traveling through,” said Leyden Broadband Manager Jack Golden. “In a storm when a tree could come down, it could take out the fiber line and the town wouldn’t have broadband.” The surrounding towns noted similar problems, leading to a discussion of how pooling resources could lead to better connectivity for everyone. Sharing resources was also identified as a way the towns could maximize their broadband opportunities in a more cost-efficient manner.
Three different routes will snake through the five towns, according to The Recorder. Should a problem take one route temporarily out of use, digital traffic will be able to reroute through the remaining channels. Backhaul connections will link local wired networks to the core wireless networks, in particular, the area cell towers. Verizon and AccessPlus supply the backhaul connection to Charlemont, one of the three main route hubs. Crown Castle administers the backhaul to Rowe, the second. The third key location, Leyden, has service linked to the Middle Mile Network, operated by Massachusetts Broadband Institute.
“That is just great news for a small town like Leyden because we are really trying to make broadband affordable for our residents [and] our customers. We’re trying to save money to go ahead and replace equipment every seven years, and there’s a lot of pressure on us to keep our prices as affordable as possible,” stated Golden. “The 10-gigabyte share will go a long way in helping to pay down the loan.” He is referring to a $1.2 million loan that the town initiated when Leyden committed to broadband delivery for its residents.
Under the new linked system, Golden anticipates that Leyden will gain access to three broadband lines operating at faster speeds with a cost of approximately $1,200 per month. The town currently pays $2,100 per month for just one gigabyte of service.
“One way in and one way out doesn’t work,” noted Colrain Selectboard member, Michael Slowinski. “If a tree falls down, it puts an entire town out of the business.”
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