Officials celebrate Comcast broadband expansion in 9 rural Western Massachusetts towns
The towns of Buckland, Chester, Conway, Hardwick, Huntington, Montague, Northfield, Pelham and Shelburne now have vastly expanded internet access. Standing in front of a Comcast-branded backdrop, Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito joined corporate executives and local officials at the Pelham library Thursday to celebrate the completion of the Broadband Extension Program. Comcast had previously deemed it uneconomic to provide service to most areas of the rural towns, but the company agreed to expand its cable network to 1,089 new premises with a $4 million grant from the state. The grant required that 96 percent of the rural premises be reached.