A Municipal Fiber to the Home Network for Charlemont Massacusetts
Regular project status updates from Charlemont Connect to the Charlemont Select Board.
The Charlemont Broadband Committee’s goal has been to build a fiber network for the town that can be fully self-sustaining, with all costs of the network, including all debt, paid for from subscriber fees. The project is on track to do just that. The network is up and running, the finances look good, and it is expected to be fully self-sustaining. This $3.5 million investment in the town has been done with no increase to the tax rate.
Comments closedCharlemont has prepared a municipal fiber network hand-out for Annual Town Meeting. This highlights the August 31, 2022 installation subsidy deadline, discounts for qualified subscribers, project construction costs and projected operating budget, and plans for the future.
Comments closedHigh-Speed Broadband is now a reality in Charlemont. The construction project for our network is moving toward completion. Subscribers have been activated in 3 of…
Comments closed2021 was the year Charlemont’s municipal network came to life for many! Charlemont has completed most of the construction work for the network with splicing, testing, and validation continuing in both East and West Charlemont. Despite the challenges of the bankruptcy and acquisition of our distribution contractor, a major construction project in the village disrupting access to some parts of town, and labor shortages due to the ongoing global pandemic, 40% of the network is fully complete and over 30% of all subscribers are receiving service!
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 closedCharlemont Connect is has created a network construction status page to allow for an at-a-glance view of the municipal fiber construction in each fiber service area (FSA). The FSAs are linked to a description of the areas of town that are contained in that FSA. The construction stages are linked to a description of each of the steps needed before service is available. Each stage for each FSA will show one of four statuses: Complete, In Progress, Not Started, and Blocked.
Comments closedCharlemont’s Municipal Fiber Network will be serving customers next month! The town is on track to light the first fiber service area in July, serving most of the village and homes along South River Road. This updated project timeline and broadband status update have been prepared for Annual Town Meeting on Saturday, June 12.
Comments closedCharlemont Municipal Fiber Network
Selectboard Status Report
March 7, 2021
Summary
Network construction is underway and the essential work in the village center has been completed to alleviate conflicts with the DOT traffic calming project, which will be resuming soon. The subscription website is operational and we are encouraging all residents to sign up so that WhipCityFiber can plan the installation schedule for the summer. There will be a virtual information session on March 16. Sign-ups are currently at 20%, mostly through word-of-mouth. The project remains on budget. WhipCityFiber is recommending a “safe” schedule with FSA01 (the first fiber service area) lighting up in July and the other FSAs following at two-month intervals. The town is working with WGE and TriWire to try to accelerate this schedule if possible. Currently, the lack of fiber splicing and testing crews seems to be the bottleneck.
Charlemont Municipal Fiber Network
Selectboard Status Report
December 31, 2020
It has been a busy year. The town has completed most of the make-ready work for the network and we are poised to begin network construction in early 2021. Racks are being installed in the network equipment room and WGE as project manager is finalizing the build schedule with Triwire, our selected distribution contractor. The town’s subscription website at WhipCityFiber.com is nearly ready to launch. The project remains on budget and we are looking forward to commencing operations during 2021. One issue we are tracking closely is to coordinate work in the village center with the DOT traffic calming project – ideally, we would like to complete much of the network buildout in the village center before the traffic calming project resumes heavy work in the spring.
Comments closedThe Town of Charlemont will hold a Special Town Meeting at Hawlemont Regional Elementary School on Saturday, November 14, 2020, at 6 PM. There are two warrant articles related to the municipal fiber network before voters to set up the accounting structure. In preparation for this meeting, you will find, attached, an overview of the status of the network and an expanded proforma budget for network operations.
Comments closed
