Build upon Worcester’s digital advantage
According to a study by the Obama Administration, Worcester is one of 10 cities in Massachusetts – and one of 495 in the country – with an installed broadband network, and the city is part of a much smaller subset whose broadband is a fiber network, which offers significantly higher Internet connectivity speeds than cable or DSL.
Further benefitting Worcester still is the city is home to networks of dark fiber, which – as opposed to lit fiber – is a digital infrastructure not controlled by an Internet provider such as Spectrum Business. Dark fiber networks essentially give users the opportunity to manage their Internet connections and speed in-house, without having to rely on a third-party provider. This can be attractive to large business and institutional users that need fast, reliable, large and cheap Internet access, like hospitals, technology companies and colleges.
When it comes to economic development, Worcester – just like every other municipality – needs to play to its strengths. Central Mass. is home to an educated workforce, significant amounts of commercial and developable space, lower costs than other areas of the state and has significant transportation advantages. Fast, large – and potentially cheap – Internet speeds that can be delivered to businesses large and small can become an important competitive plus to that list of competitive advantages.
The Worcester Regional Chamber of Commerce has been pushing for the city to further leverage its fiber network ever since it released a report on the matter in November. Chamber President and CEO Tim Murray is working with the city to create a broadband task force, similar to one in Cambridge, that can guide the growth of the fiber network to maximum economic advantage. Currently the existing fiber network is being expanded to city schools and the airport and its surrounding industrial park. Further expanding that network across the city, and working with its vendors to assure that it is competitively priced for commercial users will be a key component to making the city more attractive to developers and end users.
For a municipality that just further widened the gap between the business and residential tax rate, pushing this initiative forward sends a message that the city is making Worcester more attractive to the emerging high-tech and innovation economy.
Attracting new companies to any region is a mix of art, science, hard work and an ounce or two of luck. Focusing on leveraging the city's existing fiber infrastructure to its advantage may not land Worcester the next GE, but there are plenty of emerging companies looking for an affordable, hip urban center to grow. With its overall momentum and clear affordability when compared to the greater Boston area, Worcester has got a pretty good story to tell.
When looking outside the state, Carolina's Research Triangle also scores well on affordability and has an educated workforce, but many New England firms find it hard to move their teams many states away. For companies feeling the pinch of a red hot residential real estate market and tight commercial space around Route 128, Worcester could well become a nice alternative. The importance of a robust and competitive fiber network can be a real factor in attracting companies. The chamber found 70 percent of businesses consider Internet access critical when choosing a new location.
Infrastructure development and maintenance are important parts of a region's economic viability. Just like roads and bridges are key to moving people and goods, digital infrastructure like fiber broadband networks and data centers are vital to an economy increasingly relying on technology and connectivity. Worcester has a headstart in its existing digital infrastructure, and now is the time to double down on making that fiber expansion happen.
WBJ Web Partners
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