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Private fiber provider opposes bill requiring competitors to pay municipalities’ broadband make‑ready costs
Summary
Gateway Fiber told the committee it opposes a House bill that would require competitors to bear the cost of municipal broadband make‑ready work, saying the requirement would unfairly compel private companies to pay for municipal network buildouts and chill private investment.
A private fiber‑to‑the‑home provider told the Joint Committee it opposes a House bill that would require incumbent or competing providers to shoulder make‑ready costs when municipalities pursue their own broadband networks.
Derek Leffert, head of government affairs for Gateway Fiber, said the company is investing hundreds of millions in Massachusetts to expand fiber service and partners with municipalities on builds. He said the make‑ready process for attaching to existing pole infrastructure is expensive and time‑consuming, and House 3450 (as referenced in testimony) would effectively compel competitors to fund a municipality’s infrastructure build. "That is analogous to AT&T having to pay to construct towers for Verizon," Leffert said, and he urged the committee not to advance the bill without changes.
Leffert said Gateway Fiber is willing to work with the bill sponsor to speed broadband deployment but warned that shifting costs to competitors could deter private investment and distort competition. He asked lawmakers to consider alternative measures to accelerate deployment that do not place the financial burden of municipal network development on private firms.
The committee did not take a vote during the hearing.
