MONTAGUE — The state agency responsible for distributing government funds for broadband expansion in underserved towns is rejecting a bid from the provider Matrix to serve in Montague.
After an internal review by MBI, the organization determined that the only other organization that bid on the opportunity to provide service to the region, Comcast, would more successfully extend sustainable broadband access.
MBI plans to schedule a public meeting the week of May 9, pending the availability of local elected officials, for community review and feedback.
“The review of the Matrix/Millennium proposal further revealed significant concerns and uncertainties about whether residents would ultimately attain broadband access with deployment of state grant funding,” said Michael Baldino, director of board relations and associate general counsel at the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative.
MBI has also asked the Commissioner of the Commonwealth’s Department of Telecommunications and Cable (DTC), Karen Charles Peterson, to evaluate the MBI staff recommendation for cable extension in the towns of Hardwick and Montague.
The MBI Board and MassTech Executive Committee will hold a joint meeting during the week of June 6 to vote on the commissioner’s recommendation, according to a press release from the state agency.