In February’s Infrastructure Committee meeting we revisited grid modernization, and had updates on Last Mile including an upcoming workshop in Falmouth.
CCTC General Counsel has looked at Memorandum of Understanding between Cape Light Compact and the Cape Cod Technology CouncilCape Light Compact’ regarding grid modernization, with no substantive changes. Now the Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities needs to do their part. Once it goes into the public comment phase the Infrastructure Committee will put together a community workshop so people can be informed.
The Infrastructure Committee’s Last Mile sub-committee reported that Open Cape has been raising money for Last Mile build-out. Furthermore, according to the EPA there is a new pilot program, Cool and Connected, that helps communities interested in using broadband service to revitalize and promote economic development. This program is sponsored by the U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Utilities Service and EPA’s Office of Sustainable Communities.
We also heard about a workshop in Falmouth, looking at a municipal solution for Last Mile. The Falmouth EDIC is exploring local interest in the feasibility of creating some form of a fiber optic Municipal Broadband that would be available to under-served sectors beyond local government. The EDIC meeting will be early March.