A Local Perspective: The Cost of a Municipal Fiber Network vs. Private Options

The Town of Longmeadow is evaluating a plan to create a town-owned fiber-optic Internet network, with construction and operation contracted to the South Hadley Electric Light Department (SHELD). The estimated capital investment is $27 million, to be financed and owned by the Town. The project would take roughly five years to complete.

   

Under the proposed structure, SHELD would not only build the network but also operate it on Longmeadow’s behalf once construction is finished. That includes:

• Hiring and supervising its own staff,

• Managing customer billing and technical support, and

• Providing ongoing maintenance of the fiber system and customer equipment.

In essence, SHELD would act as Longmeadow’s contracted network operator, while the Town retains ownership of the physical infrastructure and the long-term financial obligation.

💰 Prevailing-Wage Requirements and Cost Implications

Because the network is a municipally owned public-works project, Massachusetts law requires that construction labor be paid at the state’s “prevailing wage” rate. These rates — established by the Department of Labor Standards — can run 1.5 to 2 times higher than equivalent private-sector wages for the same type of telecommunications work.

That means Longmeadow’s build cost will be significantly higher per mile than what a private company would pay for the same installation. When combined with public-sector procurement, permitting, and bonding requirements, total capital costs typically exceed those of private builds.

Once the network is built, ongoing operation and maintenance may fall into a more nuanced category. If SHELD provides these services under a service contract as an independent utility entity — not as direct employees of the Town of Longmeadow — prevailing-wage laws usually do not apply to those operational functions.  However, these costs are expected to remain higher than those of private networks, since municipal contracting and staffing rules restrict flexibility and raise administrative overhead.

📊 Comparing the Three Models

Category	Comcast/Xfinity	Private Fiber Company	Municipal Fiber (SHELD–Longmeadow)
Infrastructure Status	Existing, fully operational	New build	New build
Construction Cost	Minimal (incremental upgrades)	Moderate	High (prevailing-wage labor)
Financing Source	Private capital	Private capital or investors	Municipal bonds (taxpayer-backed)
Operations	Existing large-scale staff	Private management	SHELD-contracted operation
Prevailing-Wage Impact	None	None	Required for construction; likely not    for contracted operations
Financial Risk	Comcast shareholders	Private investors	Longmeadow taxpayers/ratepayers

 
Summary

Comcast’s existing hybrid fiber-coax system already reaches nearly every home in Longmeadow and continues to be upgraded to faster standards, reducing the need for costly new construction. A privately financed competitor could theoretically build a new all-fiber system at market-rate labor costs but would bear its own financial risk.

By contrast, the municipally financed network would build new infrastructure at a higher total cost, due to prevailing-wage requirements, borrowing expenses, and the need for a separate contracted operator. If subscriber revenue falls short, ratepayers as well as taxpayers would be responsible for covering the deficit.

As the town evaluates this proposal, the key question remains: 

Will Longmeadow’s investment in a new municipally owned fiber network truly deliver better performance or lower costs than the upgraded systems already available from Xfinity or new private providers?

Jim Moran
48 Avondale Road

A Smarter, Faster, and Cheaper Xfinity Upgrade

After years of dependable but expensive Comcast service, my wife and I decided it was time to take a closer look at our monthly bill — and we're glad that we did. By rethinking what we actually use and how we watch TV, we ended up with faster Internet, the same entertainment options, and major savings every month.

📺 From Cable TV to Streaming

Our original Comcast package included television programming with DVR service on multiple TVs, along with Internet at about 500 Mbps or less.
The total monthly cost? $285.

The reality was that most of those cable channels and extra DVR boxes went unused. So, we made the decision to eliminate the traditional TV programming and keep only Internet service.

To replace live TV and DVR, we switched to Roku streaming (device cost ~ $30-40) and added YouTube TV for ~$82 per month, which includes many local and national channels as well as full cloud DVR capability — perfect since my wife and I often watch shows at times different vs. broadcast time.  It took a short learning curve, but we quickly adapted and found that nearly everything we watched before is available through streaming.  This includes watching Select Board/ School Committee meetings on YouTube Live (streaming).

⚙️ The New Xfinity/Comcast Plan

We recently upgraded to a new Gigabit Internet plan that includes a free Xfinity Gateway modem/router for $85 per month, guaranteed for five years — and best of all, there’s no contract.

That’s down from our previous Xfinity Internet-only rate of $124 per month, saving $39 per month or $468 per year right away.

📱 Free Phone & Verizon Reimbursement

By transferring one of our mobile phone accounts from Verizon to Comcast/Xfinity Mobile:

• We received one full year of free phone service (valued at $480).

• Comcast also covered the remaining $195 phone financing balance on our Verizon plan, reimbursing us via a $195 Visa card.

📺 Bonus Streaming Value

The new plan even includes two years of Peacock Premium streaming at no charge — a $10.99/month value, or $132 per year.

📶 Extra Perk from Verizon

Ironically, Verizon offered a $10/month discount for one year on our second phone line, adding another $120 in savings. (Could this be a competitive retain customer incentive since we transferred one of our two Verizon mobile accounts?)

💰 Total First-Year Savings

Source	Value
Lower monthly Internet rate	$468
Free phone service	$480
Verizon payoff reimbursement	$195
Peacock Premium (2-year value, annualized)	$132
Verizon wireless discount	$120
Total Savings (Year 1)	$1,395

Even after paying $85/month ($1,020 per year) for Gigabit Internet, we are effectively ahead by $255 — meaning our new high-speed Internet and streaming setup is essentially free in the first year.

⚡ Real-World Speed Results

The performance boost has been impressive. Here are the up/down data speeds from the Xfinity Gateway to one of our computers connected via an Ethernet cable. 

• Download speed: 931 Mbps

• Upload speed: 118 Mbps

At the incoming cable connection (Xfinity Gateway), we are receiving around 1.2 Gbps, slightly above the advertised 1.0 Gbps Gigabit plan speed — a great sign that Xfinity’s network capacity has improved locally.

🏁 The Bottom Line

By cutting cable TV, upgrading to Gigabit Internet, and embracing streaming through Roku and YouTube TV, we reduced our total monthly cost from $285 to $167 — and improved both speed and flexibility.

Between the first-year savings, free streaming perks, and better Internet performance, this upgrade has been well worth the change.

Sometimes a little rethinking — and a willingness to learn something new — can lead to faster service, lower bills, and a better experience overall.

Jim & Judy Moran
45 year Longmeadow residents and 35 year customers of Comcast/ Xfinity and prior cable system owners (ATT-Broadband, Media One ...)  

Renovate Glenbrook and Williams Middle Schools

This letter to the editor was submitted to LongmeadowBuzz by Curt Freedman- a long time resident of Longmeadow.

 

 

Dear Editor:

I have lived in Longmeadow since before I was born and completed grades K-12. I attended Glenbrook and was a member of the class of 1973 (Go Bulldogs).  I have firsthand knowledge of busing as I was bused from Primrose Drive to Glenbrook for three years. 

 

For 33 years, I have been a registered professional engineer and practice in 23 states and work as a forensic engineering investigator across the country, as well as instruct renewable energy as an adjunct professor at a local engineering university.  I am tremendously grateful for the professional and academic opportunities enabled in part by my public school education in Longmeadow.

 

My sons have also attended grades K-12 and are each highly accomplished professionals.  My wife, in blessed memory, was a speech/language pathologist and previously contracted with the Longmeadow Schools.

 

I have previously supported the renovation of Blueberry Hill, Wolf Swamp, and Center Schools.  As co-chairman of the Longmeadow High School Task Force Committee, I helped lead the renovation of LHS to its present state.  Our LHS Building team, as supported by the Longmeadow School Committee, actively worked to avoid decisions that would adversely affect abutters or create an unreasonable financial burden to our community.  Although multiple architects recommended a brand-new high school on Russell Field, these recommendations were rejected out of respect for Longmeadow.

 

My direct experience taught me that there is nothing positive about busing; it extends the school day, interferes with participation in school activities, and can create time conflicts with family and homework studies, especially during inclement weather.  An 11 or 12-year-old does not have the independent transportation options of a high school student; a local neighborhood middle school is a tried and proven option.

 

I feel that the proposed combined middle school is fundamentally flawed for the following reasons.   The project conflicts with sustainability, the Longmeadow Long-Range Plan, as well as professional engineering standards.   The project will eliminate multiple sports fields.    The project will lessen the quality of education for the majority of students.   The project will maximize busing/vehicle traffic and cause unresolvable traffic gridlock.  The project will be financially burdensome for our community.  The project will lessen property values for many of our residents.

Renovate Glenbrook Middle School. 
Renovate Williams Middle School.

Sometimes, Less is more.

Let us work together for the best interests of our Longmeadow community.

 Curt M. Freedman, PE
24 Ridge Road
Longmeadow, MA 01106

Being An Effective Select Board Member

This post was originally written in 2023 to reflect important roles for Select Board members in anticipation of challenging times ahead for Longmeadow.

Longmeadow Annual Town Elections will be held tomorrow on Tuesday, June 3. There are four candidates vying for two open SB seats in this election:  

Mark Gold, Dan Zwirko, Maury Garrett and Shelly Maynard-DeWolf  

Because Mr. Garrett and Ms. Maynard-DeWolf are newcomers to our local election politics, I felt that it would be helpful to ask Mark Gold- a current and the longest tenured member of the Select Board (since 2009) for an outline of the “homework” that is required for him in order to adequately prepare for SB meetings. 

Below is a summary of his responses which were recently reviewed and updated...

Jim Moran

_______________________

Contrary to what many people believe, being an effective Select Board member is more than committing time for the meetings- two nights a month.

Mark Gold
Select Board member since 2009

Mark attends an average of 8 meetings outside of the Select Board each month.

(As a minimum Select Board members should attend those meetings for which they are the SB liaison.)

Mark attends on a regular basis the following standing committees:

• Scantic Valley Regional Health Trust
  Meets 9:30 - 11 AM/ once/month
• Pioneer Valley Transit Authority
  Meets 12 – 2 PM/ once/month
• Pioneer Valley Planning Commission’s MPO (Traffic and Roadway) Meeting - PVTA
  Meets 10 AM – 12 PM/ once/month
• Longmeadow Permanent Building Committee
  Meets 3-5 PM/ once per month

In addition, Mark is also a member of the PVTA/ Paratransit subcommittee (Dial-a-Ride) because it is an important service in the Longmeadow community as well as the PVTA’s executive compensation committee. These two sub-committees meet about 4-6 times per year in addition to the board meetings (for about an hour at a time).

Mark’s participation on these committees provide critical contacts with leaders of other Western Mass communities as well as insight and information that supports actions by the Longmeadow Select Board.

Mark also tries to attend a couple of Longmeadow Finance Committee meetings during the year, at least one Community Preservation Committee and one Longmeadow Capital Planning Committee meeting as well.  These meeting are "seasonal" -generally during budget time. He also attends all of the town sponsored forums on the budget and related topics which typically occur 1-2 times/ year. 

Prior to serving on the Select Board, Mark served as the chairman of the Longmeadow Capital Planning Committee. For eight years on that panel Mark championed the maintenance and rehabilitation of Longmeadow's buildings as well as planned spending for DPW fleet purchases and Fire Engines.  Mark feels that this earlier experience on the Capital Planning Committee provided many benefits and insights for his current role on the Select Board.

Mark has no idea how much time other Select Board members spend outside the regular meetings.  He does know that the SB chair has to spend time before every meeting reviewing the agenda with the Town Manager Lyn Simmons.

A Select Board member with a full time job and family commitments could be hard pressed to participate in many of these types of board meetings that are regularly held during "normal business hours”. For many of these boards and committees, it's important that a representative from Longmeadow is present to represent the town’s interests and report back the committee actions.

Mark participates in as many Massachusetts Municipal Association (MMA) training webinars as possible. Last year he participated in 3 or 4 of them and usually skips the annual training on Open Meeting Law and Municipal Finances since he has completed them several times and they really don't change. There are two required training programs that all town employees (including Select Board members) must complete on Open Meeting Law and Conflict of Interest. These training programs are conducted on-line and take about 2 hours each to complete. Select Board members must complete a "test" at the end of the course and pass to be certified. Mark also attends the MMA annual meeting in Boston for two days every January.. Many initiatives that continue to benefit the town were first identified through participation at the MMA meeting such as street light purchases and the upcoming municipal electrical aggregation.

Prior to each Select Board meeting members receive a packet of information to review. The packet generally comes out on the Friday before the regular Monday meeting. It can take anywhere from 1 to 4 hours to review the information (depending if you read the many department monthly reports that are included). When there's a SB hearing (usually a liquor license or public utility), Mark will review the information more closely and if there are questions he tries to send them to the petitioner in advance of the meeting so they have the answers. Mark decided some time ago that "got-ya" questioning doesn't work well in town government.  He also believes it's a waste of time when they say "we'll have to get back to you on that" which just wastes everyone's time. “I can't tell you how many times I have found an error in the packet.”

Around budget time, the time he spends on reviewing the budget can be as much as 6-8 hours in advance of the budget review meeting.  As good as our Town Manager is in the preparation, he believes that oversight is worthwhile and wants to understand the budget as well as the Town Manager and our new CFO Ian Cottington do.  This same preparation goes for development of water and sewer rates. With Paul Pasterczyk now retired, Mark probably understands what makes up those rates better than anyone in town, and takes the time each year to closely review the proposal. This secondary review is even more important now that Paul has retired.

Mark has not added up all the meetings and times, but his best estimate is that he spends 6-8 hours per week on town business, not including phone calls he gets at home and being present at meetings that he has with the Town Manager. 

Being an effective Select Board member is more than committing two nights a month for meetings.   

Mark has been a Select Board member since 2009 and has the longest continuous membership of anyone else since the mid-1980's having now spent 16 years as a Board member.  While this is a salaried elected position at $2000/ year,  Mark does it primarily as a give back to Longmeadow where he has lived with his wife Ellen for over 47 years.  His two sons Daniel and Eric attended Longmeadow Public Schools.

Mark has made many significant contributions to the financial health and well-being of our town by being adequately prepared for the regular biweekly Select Board meeting and getting involved with the business of our town.  His record of accomplishment sets a high standard for town residents seeking election to the Select Board.  Here is a list of his Top 10 Accomplishments that he outlined when he ran for Select Board in 2022.

Thank you Mark for your commitment and many years of service to our town. 

__________________________________

Longmeadow Annual Town Elections will be held on Tuesday, June 3.  There are four candidates vying for two open SB seats in this election:  Mark Gold, Dan Zwirko, Maury Garrett, and Shelly Maynard-DeWolf.

With the exception of Dan Zwirko who decided not to participate, candidate Election Profiles can be found on the LongmeadowBuzz blog.  Here are the links: Mark Gold, Dan Zwirko, Maury Garrett and Shelly Maynard-DeWolf. 

Do your homework by reading these profiles to become an informed voter and then go to the Community House tomorrow, June 3 to vote for the best candidate. 
Polls are open from 7 am - 8 pm.

Written (& Updated) by Jim Moran