Massachusetts awards statewide telecommunications contract

Massachusetts recently awarded a statewide telecommunications contract to Digital Broadband Communications Inc. that enables the company to supply high-speed Internet access to all of the commonwealth's public schools, libraries, municipal offices and state agencies.

The Massachusetts Corporation for Educational Telecommunications, a quasi-public corporation charged with providing a distance-learning network for the state, awarded the contract to the Waltham, Mass.-based company after two years of negotiations and legislative approval. The agreement allows any state or local entity to purchase dedicated 1.5 megabits/sec links to the Internet for a set monthly price, regardless of an institutions' role, size or location. The Massachusetts' legislature last year approved $9 million to fund the infrastructure and start-up expenses.

Digital Broadband will deliver customized high-speed connections in the most appropriate medium, from Digital Subscriber Line to T1 or wireless, said the company chief executive officer Thomas Gillett.