Broadband Delivery Update: March, 2023
- Town of Stow
- Mar 1, 2023
- 2 min read
Updated: Jun 13
Report to Select Board.
Selectman member Carl Lindblade attended , on line, a webinar concerning the massive ongoing effort to bring Broadband to Stow.
What’s key to know is that there are basically ways Broadband is delivered.
DSL, copper wire, slowest and virtually out of date, and what Stow has now.
Cable-The Spectrum Model
Fixed Wireless-delivered through Towers
Satellite – effective but unreliable in bad weather.
Fiber optic. Glass “threads”. The Gold Standard.
It is not far-fetched to say that Broadband is the future for Education, Telemedicine, home based learning and business. It will be key for seniors to “be at home” longer and longer.
Thus communities that do not “get on board” will wither. (Electricity only came to Stow in 1938). This is the same imperative.
1-5 above are all delivered by private companies who must have enough density (customers) to provide a return on investment (profit). That’s not possible in a rural setting like Stow. So the solution (so as not to wither) is for public/private consortia to intervene to see that Broadband is installed to a high standard that is affordable. Massive funding for this is coming from the Federal level through the States.
The Good news for Stow is that we’re part of a group of 7 Towns working effectively to bring Broadband to the 7 Communities of MSAD # 72. (MSAD is just the boundaries, no affiliation) There is funding that’s supporting the Group and progress is being made. For more details, see the website for the Eastern Slope Regional Broadband Coalition. The town of Stow is represented by resident Rob Flint and Selectman Carl Lindblade.
The concluding emphasis from the webinar is that Town officials, elected officials and citizens must all work together to forge success. Stow is an active participant but we must be super vigilant. Only those areas that are organized and strive will succeed.
CEL