WILBRAHAM – Jeff Christensen of Entry Point Networks addressed the Wilbraham Select Board at its meeting on Jan. 6. Christensen, who has been working with the town’s broadband committee for about a year, presented a case for the creation of municipal broadband service and explained the options available to do so.

Christensen began by outlining the need for broadband in town. He said a fiber connection is 25,000 times as fast as a cable connection and while the speed is currently more than the town needs, he referred to it as “future–proof” and said the town will not need to upgrade its system for the next 50 years.

He also discussed the added security inherent in a fiber network.

“You’re not sharing [signal or bandwidth] with your neighbors,” Christensen said. Instead, you have a dedicated private network.

Select Board Chair Susan Bunnell said that creating a private network makes it harder for scammers to find and hack. As Christensen explained, that is because of local point–to–point communication rather than the signal traveling through hubs Springfield or Boston before being sent back to the recipient.

Wilbraham’s Information Technology Director Nathan DeLong noted that “it would make expanding our services here in town easier.”

Bob Tourville, a member of the broadband committee, pointed out that businesses would not have to pay for a private network, which is a cost associated with other forms of internet service providers. Christensen agreed that businesses will see dramatic savings and said, “the cost impact will be much greater for businesses than residents.”

Christensen explained that Wilbraham has the option of a town–sponsored model of broadband or a regional service in conjunction with other municipalities in the area. He recommended a voluntary subscriber town–sponsorship model. He said having the town sponsor the project ensures that “it will get done” and allows for easier access to capital.

Wilbraham has voted at previous town meetings to allow for the establishment of a Municipal Light Plant (MLP), which would be the board that would regulate and operate the potential municipal broadband service.

With the voluntary subscription, Christensen estimates a cost of $10 to $20 per month per person for the service. Those who opt–in when the service is created will have their portion of the hardware and installation costs factored into their bill over a long–term commitment of 20 to 25 years.

A resident asked Christensen if residents could opt–in later, for example, if someone purchased a home and decided they wanted the service.

Christensen said the network will be able to support the entire town and people can opt–in at any time. The downside of taking the service at a later time, he said, is that the person would have to cut a check for the entire installation cost rather than having the cost built into their monthly bill.

Selectman Robert Boilard asked about pushback from cable providers.

“They hate it,” said Christensen, but he added that the provider response is usually to explore legal measures against the municipal network and then to drop their own prices.

Christensen said the goal of the price drop would be to entice customers back to the current internet service provider, in Wilbraham's case, Charter. The use of a legal commitment of 20 to 25 years prevents that and can be considered an investment in a home.

Selectman Robert Russell asked about homeowner turnover and who would be responsible for the remainder of the contract.

Christensen explained that the responsibility would be worked into the sales agreement for the home.

Christensen said the entire town can be wired for fiber in two years. He said fiber will become ubiquitous in the United States,     “It’s just a question of who owns it.”

The board decided to officially engage with Entry Point Networks. The next step is for the company to submit a proposal to the board.

After the presentation, the meeting continued. Town Administrator Nick Breault said a warrant article for a backhoe had been proposed to be voted on at the March 9 special town meeting.

Wilbraham recently received a state grant using money from the settlement Volkswagen paid after its emissions scandal. That money will be used to purchase two electric dump trucks. The money that would have gone to the dump trucks will now be proposed for the purchase of a backhoe.

Resident Dave Sanders asked, “Who decided that we had to buy electric dump trucks?” He called the VW settlement an “extortion” and said electric vehicles were not worth the cost in his opinion. He wanted to know if the town was being made to buy the trucks.

Bunnell explained that the Department of Public Works (DPW) needs to replace the current dump trucks and that the grant is specifically for electric vehicles. If the town were to purchase diesel vehicles, it would need to come from town funds.

The select board appointed the following residents to the senior center building committee: Linda Cooper, Paula Dubord, George Fontaine, Ken Furst, Karl Jurgen, Jason Kahn, Dennis Lopata, Theodore Sowa and Diane Weston. The board will layout a formal charge for the nine–member team.

The town will soon be accepting proposals for two studies, one to ascertain the structural integrity of town buildings and one to determine their energy–efficiency. Breault suggested that bidding out both the studies together would create a “more attractive” opportunity for companies.

The board discussed the contract proposed by the Springfield Material Recycling Facility (MRF). The new contract would vastly increase the cost to towns associated with processing recycling materials. Brault said, “The contract proposal is pretty straightforward in that they want all the municipalities to sign on by the end of the month.”

Bunnell noted, “The whole region is in a quandary and I'm not sure what the solution is.”

The date for the annual town meeting was set for May 11, while the deadline for the submission of special town meeting warrant articles is Jan. 31.