DEVAL L. PATRICK TIMOTHY P.

MURRAY
GOVERNOR LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR

October 14, 2009

VIA ELECTRONIC DELIVERY

Mr. Lawrence E. Strickling
Assistant Secretary for Conimur~icationsand Inforniation
National Telecommunications and Information Administration
United States Department of Commerce
1401 Constitution Avenue, N.W.
Washington, DC 20230

Re: Massachusetts BTOP Prioritization

Dear Assistant Secretary Strickling:

In response to your letter of September 18, 1 would like to take the

opportunity to comment on the Broadband Technology Opportunities
Program (BTOP) applications that propose broadband projects within
Massachusetts to be funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment
Act (ARRA). The National Telecommunications and Information
Adniirristration (NTIA) was authorized to consult with states regarding tlie
identification of unserved and underserved areas within their borders and
the allocation of grant funds to projects affecting each state. Accordingly,
the N-TIA is affording every state the opportu~iityto prioritize BTOP
applications and explain why certain applications meet the greatest needs
of the state. This letter indicates those projects I consider to be both the
highest priorities for the Commonwealth and the closest fit to the goals
outlined by your office.

Upon receipt of your letter, my team immediately commenced our

review of the BTOP applications. To assure transparency, we
communicated to all relevant BTOP applicants the members of our review
team along with the process and timeline for responding to the NTIA. We
provided a process that allowed applicants to submit supplementary
information for our consideration. My review team members were drawn
from individuals within my administration with broadband expertise - from
the Massachusetts Executive Office of Housing and Economic
Development, Executive Office of Public Safety and Security, Department
of Telecommunications and Cable, Information Technology Division, and
Recovery and Reinvestment Office.

Applications were evaluated across the three BTOP categories -

infrastructure, public computing centers, and sustainable broadband
adopl:ion. In addition to using criteria outlined by the NTIA, we evaluated
the applications according to the needs in the proposed service area(s), the
credibility and sustainability of the proposed projects, the number of jobs to
be created, and the extent to which the projects would incentivize private
investment. We looked for those applications that leveraged existing
assets and had the best likelihood of maximum irr~pactwhere our needs
are most acute.

I am pleased to report that we have no shortage of very strong BTOP

applications from Massachusetts. This is not surprising given our long-
standing efforts to address broadband deficiencies in Massachusetts to
ensure that all of our citizens can compete, grow, and succeed in a 2lSt
century global economy. Broadband has been a central focus of my
economic development efforts since I became Governor.

After deliberation, including consideration of which applications 011

their merits have the best chances when scored against the NTIA's own
evaluation criteria, the following are my highest priority applications:
the western Massachusetts applications, under the coordination and
leadership of the Massachusetts Broadband Institute (MBI);
the OpenCape application; and
the colisolidated City of Boston applications.

In addition to the strength of these applications, they meet the

greatest needs of the Commonwealth. Collectively, these projects are
shovel-ready, will create measurable jobs immediately, and balance and
address the Commonwealth's diverse broadband needs - in both unserved
and underserved communities. Project summaries, along with a more
detailed explanation of why these applications are my highest priority, are
provided in the addendum to this letter.
 I am indicating as my highest priority our strongest infrastructure
proposals (and their synergistic and complementary sustainable broadband
adoption and public computing center applications) that focus on
geographic areas of Massachusetts where the need is greatest. I believe
these applica.tions demonstrate the Commonwealth's leadership on
broadband on all fronts, and, collectively, these applications s ~ ~ p p othe
rt
NTIA1soverall goals of addressing unserved communities, underserved
communities, and increasing broadband adoption in all areas.

It is important to note that these applications do not arise out of work

performed following the passage of ARRA. Rather, they reflect many years
of engagement in Massachusetts - studying the current status of
broadband infrastructure, working with stakeholder groups identifying
barriers to deployment, developing sustainable solutions, and then working
together to make them happen. I am confident that Massachusetts has
applications that reflect some of the most outstanding and innovative
collaborations and programs in the nation.

Finally, I should note that these recommendations reflect our

consistent approach in Massachusetts to use ARRA funds to produce jobs
for today and tomorrow. Through much planning and collaboration with
communities and other partners, Massachusetts has strategically focused
on ambitious projects leveraging lasting, long-term economic development,
and job growth rates. The BTOP applica'l:ions I have identified collectively
as our highest priority are examples of complex projects that have
benefitted from this advance planning - they are ready to go and will make
the greatest economic development impact for .the Commonwealth.

Thank you again for the opportunity to communicate what I believe

reflects the needs of, and my priorities for, Massachusetts. The
applications I have discussed best address the balanced and diverse
needs of Massachusetts. Please know that we are standing by and ready
to assist in any additional way, if needed. Massachusetts is comrr~ittedto
working with you and your team to help ensure that BTOP fulfills the goals
of ARRA to expand and enhance broadband capabilities in the United
States, create jobs, and create a new foundation for growth in America.
We !ook forward to the BTOP award announcements and putting ?he
stimulus money to work soon.
 ADDENDUM
Massachusetts BTOP Prioritization

Massachusetts Broadband lnstitute Partnership

The mission of the Massachusetts Broadband Institute (MBI) is to

extend affordable, high-speed lnternet access to all homes, businesses,
schools, libraries, medical facilities, goverrlnient offices, and other public
places across the Commonwealth. The MBI was created in A I A ~ I A2008 S~
pursuant to the Massachusetts Broadband Act, legislation that I introduced
upon my election as Governor. The Broadband Act gives the MBI the
authority to invest up to $40 million of state bond funds in necessary and
long-lived infrastructure assets - such as conduits, fiber-optic cable, and
wireless towers - and these funds will permit the MBI to provide the
necessary match for its BTOP grant.

Tlie MBI has been engaging with private broadband firms, both large
and small, to develop the co-investment partnerships expected to provide
service to the public based on the utilization and extension of the MBl's
assets. The MBI will make limited and strategic public investments that
leverage the use of public dollars to incentivize private investment from
providers to supply complete broadband solutions to customers in
unserved and underserved areas.

With respect to the MBl's coordinated application, Massachusetts is

so often associated with the greater Boston area that many people are
unfamiliar with our state's rural, western region. While most residents in
eastern Massachusetts have a choice of lnternet providers, those in
western Massachusetts face substantial gaps in broadband coverage. The
small towns and rolling hills of the Pioneer Valley and Berkshires - the very
landscape that makes those areas such a uniquely beautiful place - have
posed significant hurdles to private expansion of high-speed lnternet much
in the same way they hampered rural electrification efforts in .the last
century. According to the BTOP criteria, four western Massachusetts
corr~munitiesare unserved and 39 are underserved. With an average
population density of 39 people per square rrlile (versus a statewide
average of 602), it is not surprising that 64% of the households in these 43
corr~munitieshave no wired broadband available. This application does not
tie together disparate, winding groups of census blocks to achieve
unserved or underserved status. Rather, these 43 communities are, in
their entirety, lacking adequate broadband access.
 ADDENDUM
Massachusetts BTOP Prioritization

To close this gap and ensure that the broadband needs of western
Massachusetts are met for the next three decades, the MBI proposes to
build over the next 2-3 years a 581-mile, carrier-class, fiber-opl:ic middle-
rrrile infrastructure project, providing scalable access from 1.5Mbps to
40Gps. It covers a 97% rural service area of 1,591 square miles, roughly
one-third of the Commonwealth, and would bring new broadband access to
20,337 households and 5,750 businesses. Numerous anchor institutions,
public safety entities, and CI-iticalconimur~ityorganizations in the region
have expressed interest in being involved with this shovel-ready project
and being corlnected to the network that the MBI proposes to build. Our
state public safety and information tectlnology agencies also stand ready to
partner with this project, ensuring its effectiveness.

I should note that, to demonstrate our conirrlitnient to rapid

broadband deployment, and our capacity to get this done, the fiber-optic
network proposed by the MBI would build upon a recently announced $4.3
million, 55-mile segment of MBI fiber curren,l:ly being deployed along the
Interstate 91 corridor in western Massachusetts.

In addition to the NIBl's middle-rnile infrastructure application, its

coordinated application with regional partners will assure that, with
broadband services available in select areas of the region and as additional
broadband availability is achieved in the unserved and underserved areas,
there will be robust activities and programs to support p ~ ~ b laccess
ic to
broadband technology and to encourage the adoption of broadband
services. In partnership with the MBI, these projects will achieve
significantly greater public access and broadband adoption in western
Massachusetts.

The applications have been coordinated to ensure that a

comprehensive, non-duplicative, successful effort is proposed in western
Massachusetts. This coordinated approach will be unique nationally, and it
is only possible due to the long history of collaboration and partnership that
already occurs in the region.

One project will focus on expanding access and availability of

computers and broadband through the creation of centers throughout
western Massachusetts. The approach proposed is to create ten corrlputer
centers strategically placed in the region to be geographically equitable, to
 ADDENDUM
Massachusetts BTOP Prioritization

reach the most densely populated areas of the region and to reach the
lowest-income and highest-minority popula1:ions in the coun,l:ies. The more
remote areas of the region will be reached through an innovative computer
lending system. Training and education programs will be developed and
provided in the computer centers by the region's community colleges,
public television station, regional educational collaboratives, and by the
regional library system, as well as other key orgarrizations, such as regional
employment boards. This project provides access to technology and
training that will improve the job readiness, quality of life, and life-long
learning of thousands of individuals over .the course of the project period
and beyond.

Another regional project, Get Online! (GO!), will address broadband

awareness, education access and service needs for all four counties of
western Massachusetts. The long-term lack of connectivity has resulted in
a lower level of broadband awareness, skills, and opportunity. Due to both
the rural nature of the region and the poverty in areas of its urban core,
education, and training opportunities have not been as readily available to
many residents and businesses. Similarly, orgar~iza.tionsserving
vulnerable populations have been hesitant to adopt broadband technology
because of their own or their constituents' limited capacity and access.
GO! fosters collaboration by facilitating partnerships among organizations
to provide more coordinated and joint activities. Efforts have been targeted
to support education, healthcare, and child-care services, as well as
economic development. Weaving this collaboration into a11 effective whole
with a shared mission and willingness to exchange best practices and
information is significantly innovative.

These projects have great potential to bring broadband access equity

to western Massachusetts, and they are key to maximizing employment,
business, and educa,l:ionalopportunities through the prorr~iseof ubiquitous
broadband access. The MBI is also the entity I designated from
Massachusetts for funding under the Broadband Data Improvement Act
(BDIA) to develop broadband inventory mapping and support corr~munity
initiatives, and they are making great strides already on a statewide
broadband mapping project.

Western Massachusetts is where our digital divide is most acute.

Upon receipt of BTOP funding, the MBI is particularly well-positioned to
 ADDENDUM
Massachusetts BTOP Prioritization

quickly implement its plan and effect the most irrlmediate impact in the area
where our need is greatest.

OpenCape

OpenCape Corporation is a non-profit entity and community-driven

regional advocate for broadband infrastructure expansion on Cape Cod.
The Southeast Massachusetts region has a different set of needs than
those of a totally rural area (such as western Massachusetts) or a major
metropolitan area. It has some rr~inimalservices that are not available in
rural areas, but it does not have the telecommunications infrastructure it
needs to survive and thrive. OpenCape's application focuses on enabling
services to underserved areas as well as on the need for commercial-grade
broadband for entities with needs for symmetrical upstream and
downstream Internet access, such as our world-renowned Woods Hole
Oceanographic Institu,l:ion.

OpenCape proposes to build a system of three components: 1) a

350-mile fiber backbone on Cape Cod with extensions to two major
regional network connection centers in Providence and Brockton; 2) a
microwave radio overlay for public safety primarily to support the
development of a 700Mhz mobility network and backup corr~municationsin
the event of a storm or hurricane; and 3) a regional colocation center in
Barnstable for the aggregation of bandwidth and hosting of critical
information servers.

The MBI has allocated $5 million from its $40 million bond
au.thorization to support OpenCape's efforts, and this is included in
OpenCape's 20% matching requirement in their BTOP application.

City of Boston

Beyond the immediate needs of unserved and underserved

communil:ies, the consolidated applications from the City of Boston work
together to address digital inclusion, sustainable broadband adoption, and
public safety. These needs are particularly acute in Boston's lowest-
income, highest-crime neighborhoods. The City of Boston's three grants
are linked and will, I believe, make Boston a replicable urban showcase
that fulfills the goals of President Obama and Congress in ARRA.
 ADDENDUM
Massacliusetts BTOP Prioritization

Boston proposes to build a hybrid fiberlwireless network to deliver

free, open-access lnternet to the 117,000 households in the poorest
neighborhoods in Boston, including 11,000 public housilig units. This
network would be integrated into Boston's existing core fiber network,
which the City would continue to maintain and operate going forward.
Boston has been planning for this network deployment since 2006. It has
conducted three trials to determine the best technical model for urban
deployment and can begin deployment within one month of grant funding.

Boston may be the only major city in the nation that met the
challenging NTlA eligibility criteria for last-mile infrastructure funding in an
underserved urban area. Specifically, Boston conducted a survey of
broadband adoption among its targeted population, demonstrating that low
adoption rates exist in Boston's proposed funded service area, as required.

In addition, this network would provide an important public safety

function - creating "hot spots" for police and other first respoliders who
need to access crime fighting and other critical data in the field rather than
returning to headquarters, resulting in more time on the streets in Boston's
highest-crime neighborhoods. This network would also be available for use
by Boston's leading commurlity anchor organiza~l:ions.Most notably, the
Codman Square Health Center plans to use the network to improve
wellness and home health care delivery to constituents by broadband
connection.

Other corr~ponentsof the consolidated Boston application would

ensure that this broadband network, when built, is used at home by
residents to improve their lives. Boston will expand its nationally-
recognized broadband education and netbook corr~puterdistribution
program, TechnologyGoesHome (TGH). This decade-old program has
won Verizon Foundation and Apple awards for helping families of Boston
schoolchildren understand how the lnternet can lielp them to live, learn,
work, earn, and play - to gem-~inelyimprove their life circumstances.
Boston also will offer out-of-work adults in ten technology centers in
Roxbury on-line training in how to find work and manage themselves as
employees in the digital workplace. Graduates will receive a netbook
computer to further their skills through at-home broadband use.
 ADDENDUM
Massachusetts BTOP Prioritization

Boston proposes to upgrade its 65 public corrlputing centers (PCC) -

Boston Public Library, Boston Centers for Youth and Families and Boston
Housing Authority corrlputer labs - giving residents ready access to
computers and new training. PCC staff will be cross-trained in TGH, and
graduates of TGH will also take home a low-cost netbook computer to
utilize on Boston's new network.