Technology-Neutrality New modes of broadband and new variations of broadband delivery are being introduced in the marketplace every day. It s a mistake to assume that any one solution is the best for a given area. Local partnerships should define their needs, and invite providers to meet those needs, by whatever means make sense at the time. Leveraging Local and Regional Assets Customer aggregation is one form of leverage, as I have discussed already. In a few moments my colleague Ray Campbell, executive director of the Massachusetts Corporation for Educational Telecommunications, will describe how his agency is leveraging an aggregation of public school and municipal users throughout the state to bring a new statewide network for high-speed services into the marketplace.
Leverage can take many other forms, and it has in Massachusetts.
The City of Somerville leveraged the fact that it is one of the most densely populated communities in the entire U.S. to bring in competitive cable TV and Internet service before almost anybody else thought of the idea. To sum up, local partnerships for broadband service can work and are working in Massachusetts. Ultimately, they may not obviate the need for stronger action to ensure that all citizens and all neighborhoods receive high-speed Internet services, but I would not bet against them. Every week brings a new announcement about a new technology, or a new network in Massachusetts that promises to close another part of the Digital Divide. Key stakeholders such as our organization, trade associations, consumer groups, and local economic development organizations need to work together to monitor the deployment of broadband services, and to work cooperatively to encourage further investment.