|
Berkshire Connect, Inc.
Berkshire Connect, Inc. was incorporated in February 2000 after three years of working as a community to create an advanced telecommunications landscape that would offer affordable and reliable high-capacity T1 broadband services throughout Berkshire County, located in western Massachusetts.
Prior to the creation of Berkshire Connect, the cost of high speed Internet connectivity at the T1 level was two to three times the price of connections in New York, Boston and other metropolitan areas. Pricing in the county was dependent upon the size of the customer as well as their geographic location.
By aggregating demand among county telecommunications users, member organizations were able to receive from the Berkshire Connect preferred providers competitively priced services regardless of geographic location or size.
In 2005, having deemed itself successful in its efforts to address the T1 level needs of the county, Berkshire Connect turned its focus to bringing affordable, reliable and redundant high-speed broadband services to unserved citizens. Recognizing this issue was not confined to Berkshire County alone, Berkshire Connect and Pioneer Valley Connect (the Connects) began a collaborative effort to address broadband access inequity in the region. In 2006, the Connects received a joint award from the John Adams Innovation Institute to address key questions about the lack of broadband and to develop a model solution that would best deploy broadband in unserved areas and determine the level of cost to achieve this solution. Much of the work conducted by the Connects was reflected in the state broadband legislation signed into law in 2008 by Governor Patrick. In 2009, Pioneer Valley Connect dissolved and secured representation on the Berkshire Connect Board of Directors. To better reflect the magnitude of the region it serves and the scope of its activities, Berkshire Connect, Inc. changed its name to WesternMA Connect, Inc.
|
|
|
