A prolonged effort to secure Comcast cable service for Chappaquiddick residents has finally met success.
As soon as the media company receives a final payment, they will prepare to install cable infrastructure on the remote island, spokesman Marc Goodman said in a telephone call to the Gazette Thursday.
“It’s a done deal,” town administrator Pam Dolby confirmed. “They are going to do it.”
The cable service will enable access to community television and high-speed internet.
“Everybody who has been working on this is very pleased with the way this has gone and we think it’s really going to help with property values, and getting families with kids in school on high speed internet service,” said Roger Becker, president of the Chappaquiddick Island Association, which has been working on the project for six years.
Under a long-negotiated agreement, Comcast agreed last year to provide cable service to Chappaquididdick through an underwater utility conduit.
The contract gives Comcast 16 months to set up the cable infrastructure but it’s not yet clear whether they will take advantage of all that time.
“We are hoping that it will happen quickly,” Mr. Becker said. Mr. Goodman, the Comcast spokesman, did not provide further specifics on the timeline or the work required to coordinate the service.
The success of the company’s arrangement with the town hinged on the number of Chappaquiddick residents who would sign up for the service and commit to paying a portion of the infrastructure costs. The memorandum between the town and Comcast required 270 homeowners to pay $2,139 each in up-front construction costs.
Late last year, it became apparent that the town would not reach the 270 subscriber goal, casting doubt on the entire arrangement.
In December, Comcast agreed to accept a contribution from the Chappaquiddick Community Fund in lieu of some of the homeowner contributions. Comcast is waiting on that check to begin the construction process.
The community fund also paid the up-front costs for families who said they couldn’t afford the $2,139 payment.
Lionel Spiro, a Chappaquiddick resident who led the fundraising effort, could not be reached at press time Thursday.
Today, Verizon high speed internet or DSL only reaches some homes on Chappaquiddick, Mr. Becker said. Others have relied on Chappy WISP, another internet provider.
“Chappy WISP has been serving a lot of people very well, but a lot of people want a higher speed and a cheaper rate than he has been able to provide,” Mr. Becker said.
That’s the promise of the Comcast contract.
And though their work may be done on this front, Chappaquiddick still has another technology problem to solve: poor cell phone reception.
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