Frequently Asked Questions about Pioneer Valley Connect:

[To view the FAQ about the Massachusetts Broadband Institute legislation, click here.]

• What is Pioneer Valley Connect?
• Who is involved with Pioneer Valley Connect?
• What is a "Pioneer Valley Connect Preferred Provider"?
• Besides designating Preferred Provider status, what else does Pioneer Valley Connect do?
• What can I do to support Pioneer Valley Connect?
• How can I find out more about Pioneer Valley Connect?
• What is the history behind Pioneer Valley Connect?

What is Pioneer Valley Connect?

Pioneer Valley Connect is a regional initiative to create a more competitive and robust telecommunications landscape in the three counties of the Pioneer Valley region. The purpose for greater access to broadband in traditionally, underserved areas is to encourage economic development as well as promote improved communication systems for education, health care and public safety purposes. The effort is led by business and community leaders from Franklin, Hampshire and Hampden Counties.

Who is involved with Pioneer Valley Connect?

The Pioneer Valley Connect is led by a Steering Committee with representatives from each of the three counties (Franklin, Hampshire, and Hampden). Appointed members represent varying fields including health care, education, economic development, manufacturing and small business.

What is a "Pioneer Valley Connect Preferred Provider"?

"Pioneer Valley Connect Preferred Provider" is a designation by the Pioneer Valley Connect Steering Committee. For a telecommunications service provider to be endorsed as a "Preferred Provider", they must meet specific criteria established by the Steering Committee. Elements of these criteria include: local infrastructure investment, network reliability and redundancy, and affordable high quality telecommunications services. Through an extensive Request for Proposals process conducted in 2004, Crocker Communications was formally endorsed as a Pioneer Valley Connect Preferred Provider. Information about the various telecommunications services offered by Crocker Communications is available at www.crocker.com.

Besides designating Preferred Provider status, what else does Pioneer Valley Connect do?

As part of its mission, Pioneer Valley Connect strives to be informed of and collaborate with any project or policy that may impact broadband deployment in the region. Some of the efforts that Pioneer Valley Connect are involved with include:

• Connecting Western Massachusetts
• The Underserved Communities Project & the Connects Beta Test Program
• The Board of Health (BOH) Internet Project
• The Interstate-91 Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) & Fiber-optic Conduit Asset Project

How can I find out more about Pioneer Valley Connect?

For more information about Pioneer Valley Connect, please contact Jessica Atwood, c/o Franklin Regional Council of Governments, jatwood@frcog.org or 413-774-1194 x101. 

What is the history behind Pioneer Valley Connect?

The Franklin Regional Council of Governments began exploring Franklin County's telecommunications needs and challenges in the late 1990s.  This work included conducting a survey of telecom needs, hosting a panel discussion with local internet service providers, and participating in a regulatory investigation of services.  By 1999, the legislative delegation for Franklin County charged the Franklin Regional Council of Governments with the task of addressing the "digital divide" in this rural region.  The first meeting of the Franklin Connect Steering Committee was held in 2000.

Business and community leaders in Hampshire County expressed their interest in the effort and joined in 2001.  Inspired by the success of Berkshire Connect, Franklin-Hampshire Connect successfully formed an aggregation of businesses and organizations interested in pooling their telecommunications expenditures together to encourage private investment in the region's telecommunications infrastructure. A Request For Proposals bid was issued in June 2001. The partnership of Global Crossing and Equal Access Networks submitted the winning proposal. Contract negotiations were completed in January 2002. However, the contracts were not signed due to the anticipation of Global Crossing filing for bankruptcy.

While broadband services were expanded in the region during this time, there was still significant areas that were unserved.  In 2003, there were indications that an expanded effort would be successful. In response to a request by business and community leaders in Hampden County, on December 5, 2003, the Franklin-Hampshire Connect Steering Committee voted to expand to include Hampden County. This expanded regional collaboration was called Pioneer Valley Connect.

In May 2004, Pioneer Valley Connect issued a Request For Proposals (RFP) to service providers and infrastructure builders in the telecommunications industry. The intent of the RFP was to increase telecommunications competition and choice in the region by attracting telecommunications companies willing to deploy infrastructure and to service all parts of the region. Four proposals were received in response to this request. Two of these proposals were selected for further review: the proposal from AccessBridge Communications and the proposal from Crocker Communications. After an extensive due diligence process, Crocker Communications was endorsed as a Pioneer Valley Connect Preferred Provider in December 2004.

Since that time, Pioneer Valley Connect has been a collaborator and facilitator of various efforts related to broadband deployment in the region.  In 2006, the Berkshire Connect, Inc. and Pioneer Valley Connect were awarded a $300,000 grant for “Connecting Western Massachusetts" and "The Underserved Communities Project” from the John Adams Innovation Institute, a division of the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative that supports technology-based economic development initiatives in the Commonwealth.  The joint award allows the Connects to build upon previous work conducted to address the telecommunications needs of the region.  This award allows the Connects to pursue a long-term solution to the broadband problem, and explore short-term options to increase broadband access in the un-served and underserved areas of Western Massachusetts.