October 1 - December 31, 2011

  1. Continued the Request For Proposal (RFP) process for the Network Operator. This involved developing the draft Network Operator agreement and requesting supplemental information from the finalists.
  2. Selected and executed agreements with Owner's Project Management firm, Preliminary Engineering and Design firm, Field Data Collection Survey firm and Route Validation Survey firm. Received approval from the State Office of Inspector General to utilize the Design/Build process for the construction of the network.
  3. Submitted draft Environmental Assessment ahead of the submission date. 
  4. Continued negotiations on the Pole Attachment Agreements with the 3 major pole owners in the service area.
  5. Conducted numerous outreach meetings with various constituents, including three public forums, individual meetings with the 11 mayors in the service area, potential last mile providers, and other key stakeholders.
  6. Continued negotiations with the City of Springfield regarding a conduit IRU to connect I-91 to the Internet Point of Presence at 1 Federal Street, Springfield.
  7. Submitted and received approval for the 6-month pre-Environmental Assessment (EA) budget and the revised baseline project plan.
  8. Submitted and received approval for the Baseline Project Plan.