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Date: 6/8/2021
WEST SPRINGFIELD – Within the next year, the town of West Springfield is hoping to offer residents municipal broadband internet through Whip City Fiber.
A few months ago, West Springfield Mayor Will Reichelt met with Westfield Gas and Electric to discuss a partnership through Whip City Fiber, which is a service provided by Westfield Gas and Electric.
According to Whip City Fiber, its broadband service in Westfield provides high-speed internet with upload and download speeds as fast as one gigabit per second.
Reichelt said he has been in close contact with Westfield Mayor Donald Humason and claimed Humason pushed hard for his community to receive this service.
“Westfield and Whip City Fiber offer what we want – good partnership,” said Reichelt.
He added, “We have been looking at this for a couple of years.” This included other companies and communities.
Through feedback, Reichelt said he has learned that many seem to be frustrated with Comcast and West Springfield residents want good, reliable internet service.
He explained, the town will need municipal funds, along with an intermunicipal agreement with Whip City Fiber.
This plan will be taken to council on June 21.
Reichelt said, Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA’s) will be rolled out at the council meeting and they’ll be able to see feedback. Additionally, they will be bonding this to pay back with user fees.
Reichelt believes this service is very positive and will give people what they want.
“I already have the support of the council but they need to vote,” stated Reichelt.
Interest in municipal broadband increased earlier this year when Comcast indicated it would adopt a new policy that would impose data caps and would charge residents extra for greater internet use.
West Springfield Councilor Sean Powers partnered with members of the West Springfield City Council, At-Large Springfield City Councilor Jesse Lederman, Holyoke mayoral candidate Rebecca Lisi and 13 other colleagues from Springfield and Holyoke to introduce joint resolutions calling on state and federal legislators and the FCC to investigate, regulate and end these data caps.
Comcast later announced it would delay implementing a data cap until 2022.
In neighboring Agawam, Mayor William Sapelli has assembled a Municipal Fiber Task Force to study the possibility of either implementing a town-owned and managed internet service or partnering with a third party to establish a new network. That task force later announced Otelco approached the town with plans to construct a fiber network system throughout Agawam to offer residents another alternative for internet service aside from Comcast.
If the West Springfield City Council approves Reichelt’s proposal, building out the network is about a year away.
Whip City Fiber has partnered with other communities, specifically area Hilltowns and rural communities, providing broadband to areas in which internet options are limited. For example, Reminder Publishing recently reported that Whip City Fiber’s installation of broadband infrastructure began in February and is slated to continue through 2022.
"As Whip City Fiber finishes Hilltowns, they are looking for communities to build infrastructure,” said Reichelt.
Assistant Managing Editor Chris Maza contributed to this report.