Philip Olivero
Philip Olivero, chief technical officer for Lightower Fiber Networks, the largest owner of fiber optics in the city, helped unveil a Chamber of Commerce report highlighting Worcester's strong broadband capabilities.
(Michael D. Kane | MassLive)
WORCESTER - When it comes to attracting the businesses of the future, ones that transfer large amounts of data via the Internet, Worcester is poised to move forward due to an already existing broadband network. That is according to a report about the state of fiber optic connectivity in the city that was released Thursday by the Worcester Regional Chamber of Commerce.
"For Worcester businesses or businesses in general, Internet is no longer nice to have," it's an absolute necessity," Abigail McLaughlin said. "It's considered a utility now, like electric and gas."
McLaughlin co-authored the report at the request of the chamber because fiber optic connectivity is a major part in drawing the businesses Worcester is already drawing - scientific and technology and education. For Worcester, they represent 30 percent of the city's business growth over the past five years, according to Timothy Murray, the president and CEO of the chamber.
What makes Worcester especially attractive is the amount of so-called "dark fiber," excess fiber that was laid and can be leased to other entities, allowing companies flexibility around the amount of bandwidth they use. That means they can increase or decrease bandwidth with the introduction of new technology.
Worcester has a large, privately-owned amount of dark fiber and the city's largest fiber optics owner, Lightower Fiber Networks, is willing to see it used and was present at the report's release.
"The importance of broadband for business really can't be overstated," said Philip Olivero, Lightower's chief technical officer. "There is no cloud without the network. There is no Internet without the network. And there is nothing on the horizon better than passing light through tiny glass strands."
In practical use, consultant Sean Curran, of Waterville Consulting, cited an anecdote of a pharmaceutical company that developed a drug that required federal Food and Drug Administration approval. The company did field testing, then rented three trucks to bring all its data to Washington. Now, Curran said, that would simply be downloaded onto the Internet.
In fact, companies, medical, pharmaceutical and manufacturing, no longer do expensive field testing of products anymore, he noted. Instead, they use fiber optic networks to connect to high capacity computers in other places, like universities, to create computer models of their products.
"There is no more trial an error," he said. "They actually use compute power to get that. And, there is only one way to get computer power that exists somewhere else to your facility, to your researchers and your scientists, and that is through a high bandwidth connection."
It also lends itself to a modern education approach in which iPads replace books and distance learning and active boards replace traditional lecture-based learning, he said.
Worcester already has a competitive advantage, Curran noted. About 75 percent of the businesses interviewed for the report are already on fiber.
"Worcester is already starting from a pretty impressive place," Curran said. "If you were to do indexes of major metropolitan areas throughout the country and their fiber density, Worcester would be very near the top."
But, fiber had not been built out to everybody, he said, and the city needs to take advantage of what is capable. The report, he said, is a "great snapshot of where the city is and where we should be going."
What is needed now is a way to first connect Worcester's existing but separate fiber optic assets, then to connect those "pockets" of Worcester which do not have those connections. That will grow the existing capabilities into a citywide network, Murray said.
What are Worcester's existing strengths? Eight data centers within 20 miles; more than 11 service providers with fiber optics capability within the city; a central, secure place where data communications are interconnected and an already dense fiber network, thanks in part to existing businesses and the city's colleges.
Worcester also has direct fiber connections to Boston and Hartford, and also to and New York City, where all national and international Internet traffic flows.
Unlike some cities, which have municipally owned fiber optic networks, Worcester's networks are privately owned. That adds a layer of complexity, "but we have to move forward with what we have," Murray said.
In that regard, it means working with property owners and with providers to do better marketing about the city. That will let larger businesses know Worcester is connected to the world via fiber optics.
The city also has a role to play, Murray said. By changing city policies to allow cheaper methods of installation during infrastructure improvements, businesses can connect for less money.
That will help smaller businesses connect, Murray noted. Therefore, those businesses can compete across borders.
"At its core, we know there are these assets in the city," Murray said. "The report will show that, compared to other cities, we have these key loops. But, how do we grow and expand them?"
At least part of the answer comes down to marketing. Many Worcester landlords have fiber access already. What is needed is to let smaller organizations - non-profits and small businesses - connect cheaply.
Another step is also in place, commuter rail to Boston. That, according to Curran, allows researchers and employees of Boston-based tech firms to live in Central Mass., with it's lower cost housing.
"Worcester ... has done an incredible job over the last 10-15 years of starting to put the building blocks in place to make sure that it can compete in this global economy," Curran said.
What is needed now is a task force to address any issues which could slow or prevent unifying that network, the report notes In addition, the city needs to create a policy around "one-dig" improvements, which would require fiber optics to be placed during infrastructure improvements, and for "micro-trenching." That is the practice of digging only 18-inches deep when connecting new connections from properties to existing fiber optic lines. It is a policy Boston implemented years ago to much success, Murray said.
City Manager Edward Augustus and Public Works Commissioner Paul Moosey have already been given the details of the report and are working on contacting Boston about its experiences, Murray said.
While he was not at that meeting, the city's Chief Development Officer, Michael Traynor, said high-speed internet access is something city businesses and residents have been requesting for years.
"To me, robust and very affordable high-speed broadband is a leveling field," Traynor said.