Gillett, broadband expert, chosen to lead state's Department of Telecommunications and Cable

Momentum builds for robust telecommunications infrastructure and competitive, affordable broadband marketplace throughout the Commonwealth

Gov. Deval Patrick’s appointment of Sharon E. Gillett to head the new MA Department of Telecommunications and Cable is one of a series of promising developments on the broadband connectivity front.

Gillett, who is a principal at Victory Research, had previously served as chair of the Broadband Working Group and principal research associate for the Communications Futures Program at MIT. She also served as a member of the Boston Wireless Task Force, a group established by Mayor Thomas Menino to develop plans for a wireless network serving Greater Boston.

In May 2006, Gillett was one of the keynote speakers at MTC’s John Adams Innovation Institute Governing Board meeting held at the John Hancock building. At the meeting she detailed the economic importance—the proven cost-savings and economic benefits for communities—underlying the increasing involvement by local municipalities and regions in broadband connectivity. Between 1998 and 2002, communities served by broadband saw significant increases in jobs, in property values, in number of firms, and in industry mix, Gillett found.

“Broadband, wireless, telecommunications and cable are critical to the economic success of businesses and consumers in all parts of our state, from Pittsfield to Provincetown,” Gillett said upon her appointment.

MTC’s Senior Industry Advisor, Nick Vantzelfde, lauded her selection, saying that Gillett was “an excellent choice to help make sure that communities across the Commonwealth are wired for the 21st century.”  Vantzelfde provides the state technical assistance and policy advice on the range of broadband initiatives underway in Massachusetts.  

In a series of briefings held for legislators and policymakers, Vantzelfde underscored the progress being made by a number of wireless and broadband initiatives underway in Massachusetts to surmount existing barriers to achieve the deployment of affordable, ubiquitous broadband.

In late March, legislators—including Sen. Stan Rosenberg, Rep. Dan Bosley, and Rep. Peter Kocok—along with Patrick Administration Wireless and Broadband Director Stan McGee—met with the leaders of Pioneer Valley Connect and Berkshire Connect to discuss the findings of their “Connecting Western MA,” an initiative seeking to provide broadband connectivity to 31 un-served and 30 under-served communities in Western Massachusetts.

The strong, consensus message coming out of the meeting was: “Let’s get this done!”

Earlier in that week, the Innovation Institute provided McGee an in-depth briefing regarding additional initiatives on the Cape and in Boston.

Three local academic and research institutions—Cape Cod Community College, the University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution—are working in partnership with the Cape Cod Technology Council.  The project seeks to overcome the region’s inadequate infrastructure by using wireless technology, and by aggregating demand for ubiquitous connectivity on a regional basis in order to create the conditions for competitive wholesale pricing.

“What unites all of these projects is the importance of developing carrier-neutral networks, as well as developing business models that reflect the differing needs of each community,” said Don Dubendorf, the chair of MTC’s John Adams Innovation Institute Governing Board.