The Daily Hampshire Gazette today has a front page story on the City Council’s approval in concept of a study of municipal broadband for Northampton. This is bundled in the mayor’s capital plan starting in fiscal year 2020. A final vote by the City Council will take place on March 7th and our coalition will likely be there. We may ask our many supporters to come too, to help demonstrate grass roots support for this initiative.
Coalition member Lee Feldscher of Florence is quoted in the article:
“The mayor’s announcement says to us that he’s on board,” said Lee Feldscher, of the Northampton High-Speed Community Network Coalition. “That he’s interested and engaged and wants to find a way to make it work.”
Publication in the Gazette marks a milestone too. Aside from our OpEd published last May, the Gazette has been silent on efforts to create a community network in Northampton. This front page article though brings visibility to the effort again and lets the broad mass of Northampton residents know this important initiative is being backed by the Mayor and at least tentatively by the City Council too.