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Alford, MA, Releases RFP: Deadline Dec. 21
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Alford, Massachusetts, located along the western border of Massachusetts, recently released a Request for Proposals (RFP) for fiber optic network design and contractors; the community wants to deploy a Fiber-to-the-Premises (FTTP) network. Deadline for proposals is December 21, 2016.
A Long Journey To Now
Alford is home to approximately 500 residents and has pursued better connectivity since the early 2000s, when it first approached the incumbents. As is often the case, national providers continued to pass by Alford over the years leaving them with old, unreliable technology. During 2012 and 2013, the community took the necessary steps and voted to create a Municipal Light Plant (MLP), the entity that manages publicly owned networks in Massachusetts. Since then, they have formed a broadband committee, conducted surveys of local interest and requirements, and examined financial models.
In 2015, the town approved a measure to borrow $1.6 million to cover the expenses to deploy a FTTP network. The Massachusetts Broadband Institute (MBI), the state agency tasked with administering more than $71 million in federal American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) and state funds, informed the MLP Board that the town will receive approximately $290,000 in grants funds.
The Alford MLP’s November update reports that the community has made significant progress on make-ready work to prepare utility poles:
The MLP has now come to an agreement with Verizon and National Grid about the extent of “make-ready” work required to prepare the poles to accept fiber. In the next few weeks the MLP will make payments to the utilities, clearing the way for the work to begin. The MLP has no control over the timing of the work, which will probably begin around year- end and which can take up to six months to complete.
The Project
Alford wants a network that is scalable and capable of offering high-speed connectivity and telephone service to each premise in the community. They estimate there are 734 utility poles on which to hang fiber-optic cable and that 22 miles of fiber-optic plant will be necessary. There are about 350 residential dwellings and 112 undeveloped lots in Alford, 17 miles of public roads, and 5 miles of private roads. The town encompasses about 12 square miles.
The municipal network will connect to the MassBroadband 123 middle mile network, the state owned infrastructure. Alford's plans must be consistent with MBI’s Last Mile Program Guidelines for Unserved Towns in order to be eligible for MBI funding.
Important Dates
- Deadline for Submission of Questions: Friday, December 2, 2016
- Deadline for Receipt of Proposals: Wednesday, December 21, 2016 by 12:00 Noon
- Date for Bid Opening: Wednesday, December 21, 2016 at 1:00 P.M.
You can read the entire RFP on Alford's MLP website.
Photo of the Alford Town Hall John Phelan (Own work) [CC BY 3.0] via Wikimedia Commons.
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