Internet outage in Worcester revives municipal broadband discussion

Full and original article posted on Telegram.com

WORCESTER — A “network fiber break” that knocked out the internet for a good chunk of the city Monday has leaders refocused on improving local broadband connectivity and the option of municipal broadband, saying that the future depends on fast, reliable internet.

“I think the pandemic has shined a spotlight on inequalities and one of those inequalities is the digital divide,” District 5 City Councilor Matt Wally, chair of the city’s Urban Technologies, Innovation & Environment Committee, said Tuesday. “The internet certainly isn’t a leisure activity: it affects our health through telemedicine, our economic development, our learning, etc. That’s why I was pretty frustrated (Monday) and a lot of frustration also comes from my constituents.”

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