twiw-horizontal-trans-150h
Is there a story you think we should be covering? Have a tip on something we should look at?
Contact Us

Cost the Primary Obstacle to Internet Access in Worcester

By Tom Marino | July 16, 2024
Last Updated: July 21, 2024

WORCESTER – A new report funded by the Massachusetts Broadband Institute (MBI) through Massachusetts ARPA State Fiscal Recovery Funds examines access to information technology in Worcester, and the “capacity needed for full participation in our society, democracy, and economy,” which is part of the National Digital Inclusion Alliance (NOIA) definition of “Digital Equity.”

The City of Worcester is a member of the Municipal Digital Equity Planning Program through the Massachusetts Broadband Institute (MBI). The program enables local governments to plan for equitable digital access.

The primary barrier to equitable connectivity is affordability, according to the report produced by the Central Massachusetts Regional Planning Commission (CMRPC).

That affordability recently decreased with the end of the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP). The federal pandemic-era program provided a $30 subsidy for internet bills to eligible households, but ended on June 1.

A survey of Worcester residents as part of compiling the CMRPC report found that over 50 percent of respondents with an internet subscription described the ability to pay their internet bill as somewhat hard or very hard.

The CMRPC report also notes the data from the U.S. Census showing the pressure Worcester residents face in housing costs, with 41% of owner-occupied housing units and 50% of renter-occupied housing units in Worcester spending greater than 30% of their income on housing costs. Over 25 percent of renter households in Worcester pay over half of their income to rent each year.

The report shows that Worcester residents do not have a connection problem, with over 99 percent of households in the city having physical access to at least one broadband internet service.

Federal data from 2018 to 2022 shows that 12.2 percent, 9,633 Worcester households, do not have an internet subscription of any kind. Across the city, 73.2 percent have an in-home broadband subscription and 12.8 percent have a cellular data plan only.

Being older, having a lower household income, and having lower educational attainment all correlate to a reduced likelihood that a Worcester resident has an in-home broadband internet subscription.

Nearly 20 percent fewer Worcester residents age 65 or older have a computer and a broadband internet subscription compared to residents under 18 years of age.

The report also addresses access to devices as a barrier to access. According to the report, over 5,600 Worcester households, 7.1 percent of households, own no computing device at all. Another 8,738 households, or 11.1% of city households, have no computing device other than a smartphone.

While the affordability of internet service and devices are primary barriers, the report also addresses the confidence of individuals to independently use devices.

The report says 26 percent of those surveyed say they usually need someone else to help them set up a new computer or phone. Ten percent reported they are not at all or only a little confident using computers, smartphones or other electronic devices to do the things they need to do.

The report cites a Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta study that found that 92 percent of job ads in Massachusetts required digital skills. This creates a barrier to employment for those who don’t confidently operate devices to access the internet.

According to the report, over 72 percent of the serviceable location in Worcester had only one broadband provider as of 2022, excluding satellite providers.

The report also compares costs between providers in Worcester. Service from Charter Spectrum or Verizon, in the select areas where Verizon is available are priced exactly the same at 300 mbps ($49.99), 500 mbps ($69.99), and 1,000 mbps ($89.99).

The report makes 10 strategic recommendations:

  1. Create a Digital Equity Coalition to coordinate efforts, make recommendations, and implement programs;
  2. Create a Digital Navigator program/position that works with community members to ensure a continuum of help with access, affordability, and literacy;
  3. Consider hiring a broadband/digital equity manager or identify existing staff to stay apprised of funding opportunities, ISPs, and community needs;
  4. Consider creating a modest grant program to fill the gap left by the discontinuation of the ACP and leverage upcoming state and federal funding opportunities;
  5. Bolster existing digital skill training and device lending programs through the 5 library;
  6. Partner with educational institutions throughout the City to provide additional learning and assistance resources;
  7. Explore new digital literacy and communication programs directly targeted at improving cybersecurity and online safety;
  8. Promote healthy device and internet use for all age groups but particularly in children, adolescents, and young adults;
  9. Explore device recycling and reuse as a cost-effective strategy to increase access to affordable devices;
  10. Explore opportunities to increase the number of internet service providers operating in Worcester.

On its tenth recommendation, the CMRPC report cites a 2019 Information Technology & Innovation Foundation guide to broadband competition that found “too little broadband competition drives up prices and restricts investment. Too much competition drives up cost and wastes resources.”

It concludes that Worcester should “start with a review of the city’s current policies and permitting procedures (if applicable) for internet providers to identify any barriers to increased competition which are currently in place.”

Successfully attracting additional service providers in Worcester, or anywhere else, is an uphill battle. For many years, several reports have documented how the largest internet service providers rarely compete against one another. The Center for Public Integrity published this report in 2015. In 2021, 65 million Americans had only one internet provider available to them, according to this article.

This map shows the number of internet providers available to consumers across the country.

No Mention of Municipal Owned Broadband

Recommendation number four calls for a subsidy program to fill the gap left by the expiration of the federal ACP Program. Like the federal program, a local program that replaces it will almost certainly be a means-tested program. Such programs often incur costs to administer eligibility and leaves people out for being just dollars over the eligibility limit.

The widespread lack of competition in municipalities across the country led to some communities building their own networks. According to Vice, by 2018, over 750 American communities built their own internet networks.
There are 10 municipal owned networks in Massachusetts, including Braintree, Norwood, Holyoke, Concord, and Shrewsbury. Cambridge hired a firm which completed a feasibility study for a municipally owned network last year. Springfield’s feasibility report is pending.
One of the largest cities to build a municipal-owned network is Chattanooga, Tennessee, with a population of over 180,000. In its 10-year review of its program in 2021, it found the city-owned provider created and retained 9,516 jobs and realized value that exceeds costs by over 440 percent, providing $2.2 billion of value to the city.
Municipal networks often provide higher bandwidth at lower costs to consumers and businesses.
Worcester appeared to be heading toward investigating its own network for some time. A report on municipal broadband presented to Worcester City Council on March 9, 2021, written by then-Director of Urban Innovation, now City Manager Eric Batista, says:

“There are various options that are worth exploring, including public-private partnerships. Ultimately, any effort to move forward with municipally owned broadband services would necessitate outside expertise to assist the City, starting with a feasibility study.

At the request of Councilor Wally, the City Manager and Mayor have formed an ad hoc committee of city employees and community members to examine next steps and make recommendations to the administration and City Council, on future opportunities to expand access to broadband connectivity.”

Then-City Manager Ed Augustus formed a municipal broadband ad-hoc committee in 2021. Two members appointed to that committee told This Week in Worcester that the committee met monthly and was moving toward recommendations. After Batista became city manager, support for the committee stopped.

Multiple Council Orders Ignored

Since Batista’s 2021 report, city council has passed multiple items related to a city-owned broadband network. The administrations of former City Manager Ed Augustus and Batista have appear to have ignored all of them.

On Dec. 7, 2021, then-Councilor Gary Rosen’s order requested the “City Manager provide City Council with an updated report concerning the work being done relative to potentially bringing municipal broadband to the city.“ That order was adopted.

This Week in Worcester could not locate any such report returned to council.

The Worcester City Council Committee on Urban Technologies, Innovation, and Environment sent an item to the full council which was heard on Feb. 15, 2022. The order, passed 11 – 0, requested the City Manager “provide City Council with quarterly updates concerning the status of implementing municipal broadband in the city. Further, request City Manager include said quarterly update on the city’s website.”

This Week in Worcester could not locate any such report returned to council.

During that same meeting on Feb. 15, 2022, another order requested the “City Manager consider holding a public meeting to allow for public input relative to implementing municipal broadband in the city.”

This Week in Worcester could not locate any indication of a public meeting held.

Months later, on Sept. 20, 2022, an item from the Worcester City Council Committee on Urban Technologies, Innovation, and Environment forwarded an item to the full council which requested the “City Manager provide City Council with a report concerning the plans to use ARPA funding for municipal broadband.” The order was adopted, 10 – 0.

This Week in Worcester could not locate any such report returned to council.

Next, on Dec. 6, 2022, Councilor At-Large Morris Bergman introduced an item which requested the “City Manager provide City Council with an update concerning when the Charter/Spectrum contract expires, the process that follows said contract expiring, including how a Request for Proposals (RFP) is generated, as well as the status of creating a municipal broadband network.” The order was adopted, 11 – 0.

This Week in Worcester could not locate any such report returned to council.

As This Week in Worcester previously reported, during an appearance on Talk of the Commonwealth with Hank Stolz on April 13, 2023, City Manager Batista said a municipal owned broadband network in Worcester is “impossible.”

The following week, Batista returned to Stolz’s show and clarified his use of the word “impossible.” He said, “There is an interest from the Broadband task force to do a feasibility study (…) that’s something that we’re gonna be looking into right now to see if you know how we can fund that in the upcoming budget.”

Another order from the City Council Committee on Urban Technologies, Innovation, and Environment forwarded to the full council on May 9, 2023 requested the City Manager “procure a feasibility study on municipal broadband to serve as a blueprint for a municipal broadband master plan that will include policies, designs, and financial plans the City can pursue.” That order was adopted.

According to the City of Worcester website, the city has never issued a request for proposal for a feasibility study on a municipally owned broadband service in Worcester.

Editor’s note: A previous version of this story attributed production of the report to the Massachusetts Broadband Institute. The Central Massachusetts Regional Planning Commission produced the report. 

Follow us on The016.com, the social network for Worcester and you!

This Week in Worcester participates in affiliate marketing programs. This means we may post customized links, provided by retailers, to track referrals to their websites, and we may earn an advertising fee from any purchases made through these links. This program uses cookies to track visits for the purposes of assigning commission on these sales