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Key Events

  • Western Massachusetts Electric Company (WMECO) recognizes Berkshire Connect as proof of the effectiveness of the region's economic development strategies in the 2003 edition of the Western Massachusetts Economic Review. The report describes this region as one that is outperforming the state as a whole and enjoying steady economic progress.
  • In the article published on May 3, 2004, the Wall Street Journal cited Berkshire Connect as an example of Senator Kerry's business activism.
  • Berkshire Health Systems (BHS), a long-time supporter and member of Berkshire Connect, has been featured in a Global Crossing (GX) case study highlighting their successful working relationship. Some of the GX services that BHS uses are voice and data communications as well as audio and visual conferencing. read the case study
  • State support for the Wireless Learning Initiative was assured when the Legislature restored funding on July 22, 2004. By a large majority, the Legislature overrode Governor Romney's veto of $2M earmarked for the program. This action will allow Berkshire Connect to continue its efforts to implement the project in collaboration with the schools in North Adams and Pittsfield, the Berkshire Chamber of Commerce, the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts and the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative. Members of the Berkshire Legislative Delegation had requested that Berkshire Connect spearhead this exciting new wireless learning (pdf) pilot program in Berkshire County, which will serve as a testing ground for a statewide program.

    Through this pilot program, more than 2,200 students in North Adams and Pittsfield will gain access to the use of wireless laptop computers during the school day and at home. Over 200 teachers will participate in professional development activities designed to help them incorporate this technology into their curriculum and develop individualized learning opportunities around students' interests.

    The primary purpose of the Wireless Learning Project pilot program will be to engage and motivate students through enhanced curriculum and project-based learning. We anticipate many positive outcomes and are fortunate that Berkshire County will be at the forefront of making fundamental improvements in teaching and learning in Massachusetts.
    Wireless Learning Initiative PDF
  • On November 6, 2002, The Honorable Thomas M. Finneran, Speaker of the House of Representatives, appointed Donald Dubendorf, President of Berkshire Connect, Inc., to the special commission dedicated to the study of statewide information technology strategies for commonwealth entities. IBM is serving as the paid consultants to the Commission. The senior IBM consultant, headquartered in North Carolina, has already told Don that Berkshire Connect is clearly one of the most compelling models in the nation. Don's mission is to make sure that the Commission understands the extent to which the buying power of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in voice, data and Internet services represents a critical component to bringing access and affordable services to every community in Massachusetts.
  • Evaluation - The Berkshire Connect evaluation study has been finalized.  The Berkshire Regional Planning Commission (BRPC), an originating stakeholder of Berkshire Connect, conducted this evaluation.  The evaluation process included the review of archival documents, face-to-face member interviews, member surveys and other outreach.  This report informs many areas of interest including:  strengths and weaknesses, future mission, quality of service from the preferred providers, organization of the corporation, and strategic planning.  The Executive Summary highlights the findings of this evaluation study.


  • Ohio's IT Alliance - Gov. Taft of Ohio has decided that bringing broadband service to all regions of Ohio is a priority for the state and has made the Broadband Initiative part of his Third Frontier Project.  One facet of the Broadband Initiative is BroadbandLink Ohio, a program that would, through a cooperative buying organization, aggregate needs of rural regions with larger buyers making it attractive for providers to offer deep discounts.  The resulting lower costs would act as a catalyst for widespread purchase of broadband service by those put off by the relatively higher costs in rural areas.  Ohio's IT Alliance has been asked by Gov. Taft to consider taking responsibility for BroadbandLink Ohio and to administer it in its deployment and maintenance phases.  Although the Board of Governors has endorsed the concept, Ohio's IT Alliance has put forth efforts to gather more information for them to ensure that this is consistent with the organizations mission and financial objectives.  The summary of these efforts, entitled "Statewide Broadband Initiatives", highlights Berkshire Connect as one of the most highly recognized success stories.

    "The Power of an IT Network", presented by Ohio's IT Alliance, is Ohio's premier networking event for the state's IT industry.  Attendees will have an opportunity to learn more about the statewide network as an effective IT industry growth organization - the opportunities available and stories of successes - while meeting with peers throughout the state and establishing relationships extending to affiliations in other regions of Ohio.  This event takes place April 30, 2003 at the Aladdin Shrine Center in Columbus. 


  • Rural Telecommunications Congress held its annual conference entitled "Building Demand for Broadband" on October 6-9, 2002 in Des Moines, Iowa.  www.ruraltelecon.org  During the session "Aggregation Demand Workshop", Berkshire Connect was cited as a successful demand aggregation initiative.


  • Meeting with FCC Chairman Michael Powell - At the invitation of FCC Chairman Michael Powell, Donald Dubendorf traveled to Washington, DC, on August 21, 2002 for a meeting the the Chairman.  Chairman Powell noted that he is very familiar with the Berkshire Connect model and has cited it many times in presentations and discussions about overcoming the digital divide.  The Chairman pledged the ongoing support of the FCC towards the continued success of Berkshire Connect.


  • Meeting with DTE Chairman Paul Vasington - On August 9, 2002, Donald Dubendorf, volunteer President of Berkshire Connect, hosted Paul Vasington, Chairman - Massachusetts Department of Telecommunications and Energy (DTE) and Representative Daniel Bosley.  DTE is the state's primary regulatory authority on telecommunications issues.  Representative Bosley organized the visit and assisted Don in providing Chairman Vasington with an extensive update on Berkshire Connect.  


  • Vermont Business & Industry Expo - Donald Dubendorf, President of Berkshire Connect, and Bill Ennen, UMass Donahue Institute, were invited to participate in the Vermont Business & Industry Expo which was held on May 23, 2002 in Burlington, VT. The theme of the event was "A Balance for the Future:  Environment, Technology and Education".  The session in which they participated was entitled "Rural Telecom Aggregation Strategies for Vermont".  Discussions included a review of the successes and challenges of "Connect Models" in Massachusetts, current activities in the Northeast Kingdom and statewide in Vermont, and the future potential for a New England Connect.  Mr. Paul Costello, Executive Director of the Vermont Council on Rural Development, has extended his heartfelt thanks to Don and Bill for their inspirational presentation.  The CEO of the Vermont Electric Cooperative, a company serving 16,000 members, will visit the Berkshire Connect office this summer to understand our demand aggregation model and affinity group program.  


  • Berkshire Connect Members Meeting - On March 25, 2002, Bill Ennen facilitated a Berkshire Connect members meeting with its preferred providers. About 1'45" was spent in discussions with Global Crossing (GX) and Equal Access Networks (EAN) and another 1'30" was spent meeting with the members only. During this meeting, EAN provided a detailed engineering report on the egress and backbone network. Both providers directly answered a broad range of questions presented to them by Berkshire Connect members. Important outcomes from this meeting included: (1) members obtained a detailed appreciation of the new networks; (2) members and providers used actual experiences to understand how our providers reach and support customers; (3) members learned how other members were utilizing the providers and the new network; (4) members indicated a strong interest in knowing and working with each other in the future; (5) a "continuity of service working group" was set up to meet with the FCC on behalf of the entire membership. The strongest message coming out of the members-only discussion was that Berkshire Connect is very important and that every effort should be made to hold this group together. Berkshire Connect encourages the members to be thinking about the appropriate timing for the next members meeting.  

    At this meeting, Berkshire Connect was informed by GX that they, like so many of today's telecom providers, would be going through another downsizing and reorganization.  Since that meeting, GX has reorganized to focus support on the retention of current customers. Berkshire Connect is encouraged by this reorganization as it brings former Frontier Communications people into the key leadership positions throughout GX.
  • Representatives from a sixteen-county area in Northern Mississippi have been talking to and examining the Berkshire Connect model. Volunteers and consultants contacted Berkshire Connect and the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative after reviewing the Berkshire Connect web site. They have now spoken to a half dozen Connect leaders in New England. They are trying to determine if the Berkshire Connect model of demand side aggregation could be effective in this 100 by 100 square mile area of Mississippi. The folks from Mississippi have told Berkshire Connect that we have the best example in the nation for bringing high-speed access to an entire region. We expect to hear more from them in the coming months. In addition, MTC has been contacted by the Appalachian Regional Commission, a federal agency, on the subject of offering demand aggregation workshops.


  • One of the key policy priorities of the Swift Administration has been to develop a comprehensive statewide economic strategy to enhance and sustain the Commonwealth's competitive position over the long term. The Department of Economic Development, in partnership with the University of Massachusetts' Donahue Institute, spearheaded a statewide long-term strategic planning initiative to achieve this goal. Towards that end, they sought input from the Commonwealth's business, civic and academic leaders. Recognizing the important role Berkshire Connect has played in the economic success of Massachusetts, Donald Dubendorf, President of Berkshire Connect, was invited to participate in a discussion group on December 3, 2001. This discussion group on "Building the Information Infrastructure for the 21st Century" was composed of a select group of individuals from across the state with the intent of developing specific policy recommendations in support of the strategic planning initiative.


  • On December 18, 2001, nineteen people from Vermont, New Hampshire and
    Massachusetts met to share experiences regarding bringing high speed,
    competitively priced telecommunications services to New England. The group refers to itself as New England Connect (NEC) because most of the participants have or are utilizing the Berkshire Connect, Inc. model of aggregating buying power to achieve new, facilities-based telecommunications infrastructure. The list of Connect projects now includes: Monadnock Connect, North Country Connect, Seacoast Connect, Capitol Region Connect, Franklin-Hampshire Connect and Coastal Connect. Additionally, there are Connect-type projects forming in Southeastern Massachusetts and Northern Vermont. New England Connect participants agreed to pursue the early stages of defining a mission and building a business plan in an attempt to understand if we could achieve better outcomes by collaborating across New England. The Massachusetts Technology Collaborative has helped spur discussions as they have witnessed, first hand, the profound impact of Berkshire Connect on the telecommunications infrastructure of Western New England.  


  • Jennifer Davis Carey, Director, Office of Consumer Affairs and Business Regulation, Commonwealth of Massachusetts, invited Berkshire Connect, Inc. to serve on the "Technology & Infrastructure Working Group" of the "Massachusetts Wireless Steering Committee & Working Groups".  Jennifer Davis Carey, OCABR, Neil Chayet, representing the carriers, and Geoff Beckwith of the Massachusetts Municipal Association, chaired the Steering Committee.  The Technology & Infrastructure Working Group was co-chaired by the Mass High Tech Council and the Executive Office of Public Safety.  The first meeting took place on 10/30/01.  All future meetings will be held in Boston at the offices of OCABR.  The working group involving Berkshire Connect is focused on issues related to the deployment of emergency 911 cell service.


  • The National Summit on Broadband Deployment: 2001 A Digital Odyssey was held on 10/25-26/01 in Washington, DC.  Berkshire Connect has received a letter of appreciation from Mr. Brett Perlman, Commissioner of the Public Utility Commission of Texas, for our willingness to participate and share our expertise and viewpoints.  Anyone who would care to view the webcast and presentations may do so on the web at www.naruc.org.


  • On 10/10/01 Berkshire Connect joined Monadnock Connect, Franklin Hampshire Connect, Coastal Connect, the UMass Donahue Institute and the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative at the Itec Massachusetts Technology Showcase (www.goitec.com).  This group provided a ninety-minute panel on the demand aggregation model as a means to bringing network and services to under-served markets.


  • Annabel Z. Dodd, author of the national bestseller The Essential Guide to Telecommunications, has inserted in her book a text box on the Berkshire Connect, Inc. model (pg. 251).  This can be found in the third edition, published 2001, by Prentice Hall.


  • The Telecom Sub-Committee of the Vermont Council for Rural Development (VCRD) held a statewide, interactive videoconference on 9/18/01 on the concept of aggregating demand to compel better telecommunications in rural areas.  The lead site was Colchester, VT, with others joining in from Bennington and Brattleboro.  Participating in this event was Donald Dubendorf representing Berkshire Connect, Inc., John Vance of Monadnock Connect , Peter Riviere from North Country Connect and Bill Ennen of the UMass Donahue Institute.