Town of Princeton, Mass. – Jan. 19, 2016 – 5 pm
Meeting Minutes - PBMLP
5:05 pM Meeting opened with PBMLP members Stan Moss, chair, Edith Morgan, Jon Fudeman and T.A. Nina Nazarian, Phil O’Brien, Phil Leaman and John Kowaleski in attendance.
Also attending were Judy & Bill Dino; Jim O’Coin; John Shipman; Steve Cullen; Gary Langevin; Phil Howard
Jon F. requested the floor to report on four meetings he has had with Mark Ayotte, owner of Ayacht Technology Solutions which operates the WiFi system in town after purchasing it from PMLD. He wanted to do it first, ahead of the agenda items, since he felt the information could impact the rest of the meeting.
5:10 PM Stan M. set a time limit of 15 minutes so as not to interrupt the agenda. Steve Cullen, who had served on the Broadband Committee, outlined the situation with Ayacht, which has new/better access to the backhaul and has ramped up equipment at PMLD and at the mountain. Upgrades are being promised which are considered significant, and immediately available to 98% of Princeton households. Steve C. suggested that PBMLP might consider working with Ayacht before that operation evolves into serious competition. It previously didn’t have enough backhaul but it does now. Steve said Mark Ayotte has three advantages: no debt; affordable data; and, low customer service costs and that the town should have a conversation with Ayacht before Annual Town Meeting because the issue
will come up and town officials should be prepared. John K. noted that the PBMLP should not allow Ayacht issues to bring the broadband project to a stop, but that it may be good to have a conversation with Ayacht. Jon F. has considered optional plans for dealing with Ayacht or partnering, and may discuss them under Exec. Session.
5:25 PM Nina reported that the position of asst. manager has been posted in several venues and the deadline for applications coming in is Feb. 8. She also reported on some legal answers from Atty. Ferriter: the PBMLP can charge a betterment, similar to electrical utilities with a hook-up fee on a per-foot basis. Also, engineering can be funded from the make-ready account.
Stan distributed latest draft policies. All PMLD customers will be offered the broadband hook-up—any outliers may be considered at a future date. Phil O. will re-address the entire sign-up page on the website. Perhaps use the initial $25. sign-up deposit towards the customer’s installation fee (proposed at $200) with maybe extra discount offered as an incentive. The group discussed how to deal with the ONT that is an indoor unit like a modem, for issues such as warrantees or upgrades/replacements. Most telecom operations rent the equipment to customers. Suggestion was to offer customers the option to rent or buy the ONT. Group leaning to initial plan, to provide the ONT up front as part of the initial installation, through the life
of the warrantee, then the customer can replace it through purchase or rental. Do not know yet what the future ISP will provide or cover in servicing customers.
Group discussed identifying a “heavy user tier” of high-volume consumers of data, who could be charged extra. The scope of installing laterals to houses needs a final decision as it impacts total cost.
6:20 PM Phil O. reported on website, and he met with two volunteers willing to work on it.. He says the public meetings should begin in February. Stan wants an outline from Phil O. describing content of each info meeting. Experts, including a representative from Leverett, should be at these meetings to answer questions.
6:30 PM There was some discussion about VOIP (voice-over internet protocol) and adding phone service. Phil L. provided update on pole, as 13 applications are being reviewed; three are completed; after processing will be released. Fiber install on poles could begin in six months and could take 6-8 months to cover entire town. Engineering design must be finalized, said Stan and Phil L. and Stan mentioned extensive work by John K. in the last few weeks. Phil L. gave update on the equipment huts, serving four sections of town which all loop back for redundancy. The PMLD unit is largest, and other three are 7.5’ x 10.’
6:40 PM Board voted all in favor to approve minutes of Jan. 4 and Jan. 11 as well as executive session from Dec. 21 (not to be released). Agenda for next meeting will include discussion on Ayacht--maybe in Exec. Session; update on asst. manager; policies; updates from Phil L & John K. and Phil O. suggested moving marketing to next meeting (Feb. 2),
Stan asked if Phil Howard, who runs AllCloudNetwork.com, would join in the discussion and help sort out the VOIP questions/answers.
6:57 PM Board voted all in favor to adjourn.
Respectfully submitted, Marie N. Auger, administrative assistant
PBMLP Referenced Documents: Draft copies of previous editions and updated versions of “PBMLP Policies”
Marie Auger
Administrative Assistant
Planning Department
978-464-2100
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