The following article appeared in the Massachusetts Municipal Association publication The Beacon,Vol. XXV, No. 6. June 1999. pg. 11
 
Governor files Mass. Community Network Bill
by Tom Iacobucci
 
Gov. Paul Cellucci filed legislation to establish a governing board for the Massachusetts Community Network, which will provide high-speed, low cost, dedicated Internet access and network connections among state and local offices.
 
The bill, H. 4302, would also create a trust fund to provide the network with financial flexibility in order to keep pace with technology without requiring ongoing financial support from the state.
 
The network will include about 1,900 public school buildings, more than 400 public libraries and more than 1,000 state and municipal departments. 
 
By aggregating all these agencies’ procurement decisions, the Massachusetts Community Network will become the single largest purchaser of Internet services in Massachusetts. This will enable the network to leverage price concessions which could reach as much as 75 percent of current costs, according to network officials.  As a result, Massachusetts taxpayers could save as much as $150 million over the next five years.
 
The network is also expected to have economic development impacts, by spurring private investment in the type of telecommunications infrastructure that businesses need to compete.  This is expected to help the many communities that are still under-served by private telecommunications firms.  In these municipalities, Internet access charges are disproportionately high and connection speeds are relatively slow.  The state will partner with a private telecommunications firm in order to deploy the network.  This company will then have to invest in the infrastructure necessary to deliver advanced technology services to every region of the state.  The firm will also be required to provide all MCN users with the same price, regardless of location.
 
H. 4302 would create a governance structure for the network.  The Massachusetts Community Network Board would plan, implement and oversee the network.  The bill also would create a reserve fund, into which user fees would de deposited.  This trust fund would allow the network to offer its users state-of-the-art services without relying on continuous state support.
 
The President of the Massachusetts Municipal Association will sit on the MCN Board, to ensure that municipalities’ interests are well represented.  The 12 other board members will include the state’s Chief Information Officer; the Secretary of Health and Human Services; the Secretary of Public Safety; the Director of the Department of Economic Development; the Commissioner of Education; the Chancellor of the Board of Higher Education; the Director of the Board of Library Commissioners; the Executive Director of the Massachusetts Corporation for Educational Telecommunications; and four other members appointed by the Governor.
 
The MCN Board would determine the charges to be paid by users and administer the trust fund.
 
Massachusetts Community Network technology will enable:
 
·         High speed, reliable, point-and-click access from convenient desktop computer to Internet resources, public libraries, and connected schools;
·         Centralized filtering for student protection with local control options;
·         Course material sharing which is currently unavailable in disadvantaged or rural schools; and
·         Substantially improving communication, reducing travel and distribution costs
 
The network’s development costs will be funded by state appropriations totaling $15 million. The network received $5 million as part of last year’s supplemental budget appropriation. Upon adoption of H. 4302, it is expected to receive an additional $10,000,000 over the next two fiscal years. 
 
Every community would pay the same low-cost service charges (e.g., less than a penny per day per student).  These user charges would fully fund the network’s annual operating costs. 
 
Network officials say the network would save school departments $127 million over five years. The savings would result from the following:
·         UMass' high-speed statewide fiber backbone
·         Volume purchases and long-term commitments
·         Non-profit network management
·         Network operating efficiencies
·         Maximum benefit from Federal Universal Service funds

Tom Iacobucci is telecommunications director for the Department of Education’s, Education Technology Group, where he is working on the Massachusetts Community Network. He is a councilor in the town of Amesbury.