MA Town: No Thanks, Comcast - We'll Do It Ourselves

Residents of Charlemont, MA have rejected an offer by Comcast to bring high-speed internet to their town, opting instead to build their own fiber optic network.

In true New England fashion, the decision was reached at a town hall meeting in the northwestern Massachusetts town of 1,300. Comcast, the cable giant, had proposed a $460,000 plan to extend broadband to 96% of the towns premises. Comcast's proposal was for an improved hybrid fiber-coax network. With the rejection, Charlemont is likely to move forward with a $1.4 million dollar plan to build a community-owned fiber-to-the-home network instead.  That network would be built in conjunction with Westfield Gas and Electric, which is also working with a number of other communities in the western part of the state.

CLICK HERE to read more about the project on the Greenfield Recorder website.