Patrick pitches Internet projects

By Alan Wirzbicki, Globe correspondent
Boston Globe / November 4, 2009

WASHINGTON -- Hoping to win a big new chunk of federal stimulus money, Governor Deval Patrick pitched the Obama administration today on three proposals that would expand broadband access in pockets of Massachusetts that now lack adequate high-speed connections.

Beginning a two-day visit to Washington, Patrick met with Commerce Secretary Gary Locke to lobby for projects totalling $154 million that would expand high-speed internet availability on Cape Cod, western Massachusetts, and Boston.

"We are farther along in thinking about what we need to do than many states," Patrick said in an interview with the Globe, referring to his administration's efforts to chart a broadband strategy for the state. "I wanted to make sure our applications were differentiated in that respect."

The economic stimulus package enacted in February provided $7.2 billion for broadband improvements, with about a third of the sum reserved for rural areas. Private companies have avoided extending service to some poor and sparsely populated regions because of the high cost of reaching relatively few potential customers, opening a "digital divide" that the stimulus program is designed to close.

"Broadband isn't a luxury anymore, or a convenience," Patrick said.

However, the state will have stiff competition for the grants. Federal officials received a total of 2,200 applications totaling $28 billion -- seven times more than the amount available in the first round of funding.

The National Telecommunications and Information Administration, which is administering the program along with the Department of Agriculture, is expected to begin making funding announcements in mid-December.

Massachusetts submitted 24 applications for broadband funding under the stimulus, but Patrick said he focused on the three that were most "mature."

The $107 million Berkshires project, the largest of the three, would bring high-speed access to 43 towns in western Massachusetts that now have little or no broadband access. Backers estimate that the project could create up to 3,000 jobs.

The $15.1 million Boston proposal would build public computing centers, improve infrastructure, and provide free high-speed access to low-income residents in public housing; the city's application says more than 117,000 could receive free service under the plan.

On Cape Cod, the $32 million plan aims to improve speed and reliability by building more facilities.

In addition to discussing the broadband projects, Patrick said he and Locke had also discussed fisheries policy, which is under the Department of Commerce's supervision, and plans to build a computing center in Holyoke.

Thursday, Patrick and state House Speaker Robert A. DeLeo plan to meet with the Massachusetts congressional delegation to discuss health reform, the economy, and the state's budget woes, and then to meet briefly with President Obama at the White House.