A Municipal Fiber to the Home Network for Charlemont Massacusetts
Information about the Charlemont Connect network construction.
Charlemont received welcome news from ITG Communications, the new owners of Triwire, our distribution network contractor. A dedicated splicer will be brought from the southern US to Charlemont after the Thanksgiving holiday and “will stay in town until the job is done” according to the TriWire team.
Comments closedThe splicing in FSA 04 in East Charlemont has finished! The next step is the fiber testing which will begin once these specialized teams are available. Availability of splicing and testing continues to drive the overall schedule.
Comments closedFSA 02 has completed the construction steps of strand, fiber, and MSTs to the pole for locations west of Zoar Outdoor, including Legate Hill, Zoar Road, Tower Road, West Hawley Road, and the north end of Maxwell Road. FSA 03 is moving quickly through these first three phases as well.
Comments closedCharlemont worked with Whip City fiber to install a backup circuit in early October that provides a redundant path for traffic in the event of an emergency outage on the MBI 1-2-3 network. On October 16, there was such an outage due to hilltown storm damage that caused some of our neighboring towns to be without service. In Charlemont, the network traffic ‘failed over’ giving this new circuit its first test. Some customers noticed a drop in network speed during this time but the network remained operational throughout the MBI remediation.
Comments closedCharlemont is offering up to $1400 on installation costs to connect to the municipal fiber network through the network construction period. Lower subsidy amounts are available to those that want to connect their home or business but are not yet ready to take service. All installation subsidies are only available for a limited window while installation teams are active in town.
Comments closedValidation continues in FSA 05, which consists of the east end of the village, starting at 171 Main Street and the Federated church east through Avery Brook Road and the Red Rose motel and includes Burrington Road and the south end of Mountain Road. The validation is expected to wrap up in the next week or two. Once any needed remediation is complete, homes and businesses in this area will be released for installation!
Comments closedSplice teams from TriWire have moved into FSA 04 in East Charlemont! Splicing remains the driver of when service will be available in each fiber service area. Deployment of these crews in Charlemont shows progress continuing through TriWire’s acquisition process.
Comments closedAlthough the town has received notification that our distribution contractor, TriWire, has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy as a part of an acquisition, work on the network continues. Our final fiber service area, FSA 03, has begun network construction and Charlemont is expecting confirmation of the completion of testing in FSA 05.
Comments closedCrews from TriWire have successfully crossed the Deerfield at the Shunpike with strand and fiber! After crossing the river, the construction team will proceed along another wooded easement. Charlemont has a LOT of easements!
Comments closedFiber splicers have been in short supply in Charlemont, leading to a multi-week slip in the release schedule for FSA 05. Originally projected to start service installations in September, this second fiber service area, which spans from the Federated church east through Avery Brook Road and the Red Rose motel, is now expected to go live in October with a commitment to complete testing early next week.
Comments closed
