Membership :: Outage Procedures :: FAQs

Berkshire Connect has gained national recognition for helping businesses and organizations in a previously underserved area gain access to high quality telecommunications services at drastically reduced prices. If you are interested in exploring your telecom options, please feel free to contact Berkshire Connect. We will assess your needs and have one of our preferred providers -- Global Crossing or Richmond NetWorx – contact you. If you become a Berkshire Connect member, you will have access to the following membership benefits:

• Month-to-month contracts instead of long-term commitments
• Special pricing on most voice and data products;
• Pricing applicable to all facilities of a member business, regardless of geographical location;
• Berkshire Connect, Inc. is easily accessible to all members and serves as a consumer advocate;
• E-newsletter updates

Current Members

Currently, over 50 companies are utilizing the Berkshire Connect affinity group. This number is constantly increasing as satisfied Berkshire Connect members spread the good news story of the Berkshire Connect solution. Through our providers, Global Crossing and Richmond NetWorx, we are fulfilling the Berkshire Connect mission to provide affordable and accessible voice and data services everywhere in the Berkshires.

The size of our members ranges from as small as one to as large as over 3,000.

Prior to the Berkshire Connect solution, Berkshire Connect member companies
had been spending in excess of $1M per month on telecommunications services. Today, these same companies are experiencing an aggregate reduction in their costs of more than 65%.

Membership Criteria and Dues Structure
Berkshire Connect, Inc. is an affinity group organization providing members with preferred access to telecommunications products and services at great prices. In return, members pay annual dues. The dues are used to offset the business expenses of the group, monitor the performance of the Berkshire Connect preferred providers, and support consumer advocacy on behalf of consumers of telecommunications products and services. The following policy statement sets forth (1) membership process and (2) the membership dues formula. This statement supersedes all prior membership and dues policies.

Membership process
To apply, you must submit a membership application. Members must be conducting business from a Berkshire County address or have received from Berkshire Connect a waiver of this criterion.

Berkshire Connect will have sole discretion in determining whether or not membership criteria have been satisfied and reserves the right to waive or amend criteria on a case-by-case basis.

Dues
New members who purchase Global Crossing services will be charged 1.5% of their projected annual telecom expenditures with the primary Berkshire Connect preferred provider. Renewing members will be charged 1.5% of actual annual telecom expenditures the previous year with the primary Berkshire Connect preferred provider. The primary preferred provider reports the projected/actual annual telecom expenditures to the Berkshire Connect business manager. No member shall pay more than $5000/year in membership dues.

Invoicing
Berkshire Connect will invoice the new/renewing member upon notification from the primary preferred provider that a customer is initiating, renewing or expanding service. Calculation of the dues and the date of the invoice will be based upon the date the customer obtains the new or expanded service.

Special Circumstances

Refunds
When a Berkshire Connect member leaves the affinity group, the Berkshire Connect business manager, at his or her discretion and upon written request from the member, may refund dues for the remaining months of the current year.

Waivers
At the request of the Berkshire Connect business manager, any Berkshire Connect officer, other than the business manager, has the authority to waive or amend the membership dues, on a case-by-case basis.

Expanded Services
As mentioned above, if the primary preferred provider notifies Berkshire Connect of an order for expanded services, a premium will be added to the membership dues by applying the 1.5% formula to the projected cost of the expanded services. (This premium will be pro-rated based on the number of months left until renewal).