Boston Herald
February 4, 2000

Internet deal cuts costs for Berkshire firms

By L. KIM TAN

For several years now, entrepreneurs and managers in Berkshire County have been clamoring about not having cheaper and faster access to the Internet.

With costs for high-speed connectivity at twice or even three times those in Boston or New York, they say they clearly have been at a disadvantage when it comes to being able to jump onto the information superhighway quickly and affordably, so important in the new economy.

Today, the region is expected to take a step toward overcoming that handicap when a local coalition signs an agreement in Pittsfield to set up a new telecommunications network for users in the 32 cities and towns of Berkshire County. The deal between Berkshire Connect, a coalition of business, community, academic and cultural leaders, and Global Crossing Ltd. and Equal Access Networks, was hailed yesterday as the first of its kind in the country and a significant economic breakthrough for the county.

"It's going to have a profound impact," said Donald Dubendorf, a Williamstown lawyer who heads the coalition's steering committee. "We have been on the outside looking in. By tomorrow, we'll be on the inside looking out, and that will be a happy day."

The deal calls for the Global and Equal Access partnership to invest as much as $ 10 million to build a high-speed network, without public funds, and provide a full range of services including voice, Internet, data, and video.

Daniel J. Kelley, president of Equal Access, promised prices would be comparable to Boston's and said he expects the network to be on-line in June.

Users pay about $ 500 a month for high-speed "T1" access in Boston now, but those in the Berkshires pay considerably more to Bell Atlantic because of their distance from the closest  global access point, in this case in Springfield.

Nathaniel W. Karns, executive director of the Berkshire Regional Planning Commission and chairman of the Berkshire Connect task force, said many people have expressed interest in the new network, figuring they could save potentially hundreds of dollars, if not thousands, a year for service.

He estimated that his 15-person office, which spends about $ 5,000 a year, could save as much as $ 2,000. Such big users as Berkshire Health Systems, he said, could see savings of up to $ 35,000 a month.