LEYDEN — If everything goes as planned, the Massachusetts Broadband Institute will start wiring a town-wide broadband network in October or November of 2017, Leyden Broadband Committee Chairman Bob Ryan announced during an informational meeting Thursday.
The public meeting, which was held at 7 p.m. in Town Hall, gave residents a chance to learn the logistics of how the broadband network will be installed, what a likely time frame is and how much it will cost the town and residents. Approximately 50 residents filled Town Hall for the meeting.
The process of getting broadband to Leyden has lasted several years so far, with the Broadband Committee holding 34 meetings in the last year alone, not counting meetings with WiredWest.
“We now understand a lot more about it than when we started,” Ryan began.
Ryan said the town has already been setting aside $63,000 of taxpayers’ dollars a year, which has been used to pay back a debt to the Pioneer Valley Regional School District. With the debt officially paid off, going forward Ryan said the money would support the broadband network, so its implementation would have no tax impact.
Though it is possible that a private party might lend funds to support the wiring process, the Broadband Committee is relying largely on assistance from the Massachusetts Broadband Institute (MBI).
“We’re going on the premise that ‘Gee, that’s great, but we don’t want to sit back and keep waiting,’” Ryan said of the possibility for private funding. However, MBI will release a request for proposals on Friday.
“We won’t go forward if there’s a chance that a third party will come through and do this on their own dime,” Ryan noted.
The Broadband Committee filed a grant request with MBI six months ago, Ryan said. Bringing broadband to Leyden will cost $1,750,000, of which MBI will pay $680,000 and Leyden will pay $1,070,000. Ryan said the town must provide 30 percent of its total payment, or $321,000, in order for MBI to start the project.
Thus, the Broadband Committee is asking residents to approve the transfer of $63,000 from the town’s technology stabilization fund during a special town meeting, $43,000 of which will go toward the $321,000 payment. Eversource and Verizon application fees account for the remaining $20,000.
Ryan expects to use renewable bonds to cover the rest of its contribution to the broadband network’s installation. He said the $63,000 set aside each year would be enough to cover the principal and interest payments.
MBI, Ryan said, has put Leyden in its next round of towns to assist. They’ll begin a pole survey in December, gathering the GPS coordinates of each pole and overlaying the coordinates on a map of the town. The next step will be to move the wires on every pole in town to make space for fiber lines.
After ordering the wire in March, MBI will be ready to start wiring in late fall 2017.
“We’re right on target,” Ryan said.
He intends to have all 325 homes in town wired, with the exception of some seasonal houses.
“We think that if every home is going to be paying for it, every home should be wired,” Ryan said.
He added that the distance MBI would wire from the road to a home would be limited to 750 feet or less; however, the committee is exploring other options, like pole transmitters that can transmit to houses without wires as long as there’s a clear line of sight. Or, homes with underground conduits could have the wires run underground.
With a projected 70 percent take rate, there would be around 217 subscribers, Ryan said, and 140 residents — or 40 percent — have already signed up and sent down payments to WiredWest. With no plans to include television services, the fee per subscriber would amount to $98 per month. Ryan said an Internet service provider would be responsible for billing.
“We’re not in the business of trying to collect the money, do the billing,” he said.
Of the money collected through billing, $75,000 per year will be set aside in a necessary reserve for system maintenance.
The meeting was well-received by residents, though some, like Finance Committee member Carol Johnson, expressed concern that the venture is a big cost for a small town, especially to the town’s many elderly residents.
“If it adds to the tax rates, it’ll be a lot to bear,” Johnson said.