[Ww-snww-regional-list] Revised Letter To Wired West EC

Robbie Leppzer robbie at turningtide.com
Thu Mar 12 19:31:58 EDT 2015


[PLEASE SUBSTITUTE THIS LETTER INSTEAD OF MY EARLIER LETTER TO SHARE AT FRIDAY’S WIRED WEST EC MEETING.  Many thanks!]
 
Tom,
 
            As you will be sharing my thoughts at tomorrow’s EC meeting tomorrow, I would like to further clarify my thoughts.
 
            As I don’t know about the specific details of what has recently been discussed between MBI and WiredWest, nor WiredWest’s response to any specific concerns that MBI has raised, it’s premature for me to favor any one proposed solution.
 
            However, the main point that I want to communicate is that I want to encourage the Executive Committee to hold fast in their negotiations with MBI to keep WiredWest in the driver’s seat of how the network is run and operated.
 
            Whether or not WiredWest as an entity runs the network itself, or contracts out to a third party, I firmly believe that we should own and control and have determination of policy issues affecting the network, as this is a community-based network.
 
            I strongly feel that we have a lot of political leverage here because we, as WiredWest are the voice of the towns, and we are getting actual customers to sign up,and we will be the ones to get the towns to put up real money.
 
            MBI is only putting up half the money, and the requires the other half to come from the towns.
 
           Unless, the towns through WiredWest, has a major seat at the table, the future of the whole project is in jeopardy.
 
           I think WiredWest needs to take a strong stand about this.
 
           I think getting Stan Rosenberg to help will be crucial.
 
           Given Gov. Baker's stated public support for bringing fiber optic broadband to unserved towns in Western Mass, and given that we can make a lot of waves about this if WiredWest becomes sidelined, I don’t think his administration would want to risk the political ill will if this project is threatened with going down….so again, we do have leverage here!
 
Robbie Leppzer
 
Chair, Wendell Broadband Committee
(978) 544-8313
robbie at turningtide.com
 


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