Massachusetts Broadband Institute and State Transportation Office to Build Fiber Across State

Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick announced Tuesday a partnership between the Massachusetts Broadband Institute and the Executive Office of Transportation to bring broadband to unserved and underserved communities in western parts of the state. The partnership is expected to build on the existing MassHighway project, extending six 1.25-inch fiber-optic conduits from Connecticut to Vermont and enabling "collaboration across state borders in a variety of areas, including public safety, education, e-health and access to Internet2," according to a statement by the state. MassHighway will use two of the conduits for its intelligent traffic system, a system designed to improve the flow of traffic throughout the state. The other conduits will be reserved for economic development and expanding broadband networks in Western Massachusetts. The institute will own the fiber in one of the conduits with plans to lease the other three for future development.