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 Pro
