BEAD and GAP funding represent over $300 million available to the Commonwealth to improve internet infrastructure and bridge the digital equity gap. OpenCape collaborated with numerous municipalities and organizations during the BEAD Challenge Period, providing our region the opportunity to highlight how unreliable and inefficient the current services from Internet Service Providers (ISPs) are.
The data we collected was striking:
84% of respondents said they were unhappy with their current service and would switch providers if given a choice.
42% cited poor performance as the primary reason for wanting to switch.
41% cited high costs as a major issue.
More than 50% of speed tests conducted failed to meet the 100 Mbps download/20 Mbps upload threshold established by Mass Broadband, despite providers claiming the region is “well served.”
OpenCape is also concerned about how Community Anchor Institutions (CAIs) were treated in this program. Many could have accessed 1GB/1GB service, but were overlooked. We submitted over 100 challenges, based on speed and status, highlighting these vital institutions that deserve robust service. While the rebuttal process is still ongoing, the lack of transparency is troubling.
Moreover, some of the awards given are questionable. For example, Verizon was awarded $37,068,263 to connect 1,211 homes in Massachusetts—an average of $30,358.94 per household. In contrast, the national average cost to connect a home to fiber is about $2,500, with difficult installations ranging from $5,000 to $7,500. But $30,000 per household?
Sadly, this isn’t surprising. It appears large cable companies had significant influence over the process. This is disappointing because these funds won’t be available again, and instead of ensuring that our residents and businesses gain access to future-proof internet solutions to drive economic growth, Mass Broadband chose the easier path. The 100/20 guidelines conveniently benefit big cable providers at the expense of real progress. It’s worth noting that our neighbors in Rhode Island mandated a 100/100 Mbps minimum to ensure they were setting future-focused goals.