Cummington Connect Updates!
October 2020
Week of October 26, 2020
October 28, 2020
Dear Cummington Residents,
We are happy to say that the construction phase of the project has been completed. The installations as well as the remaining underground installations are on schedule. As of today, 226 installations have been completed, with 78 more on the current schedule.
Thirteen homes are still listed as pending for various reasons, 5 are on hold pending a decision from the customer and 36 are listed as "new", which means that they have not had consults, and are not scheduled. CALL! Get on the schedule. If you have not decided to take service and wait til after December 1st to decide that you want it- you pay for the installation- a minimum of $600.
*Please note any new requests or customers requesting service to new premises constructed after 12/1/2020 will be responsible for all applicable costs
As mentioned before, cold drops will be done after the service drops.
This is important: If you have underground service and you have NOT been scheduled, please call and get on the schedule. There are some folks that are really hard to contact, like they've been called 7-9 times... We understand that not everyone will pick up a number that they don't recognize or perhaps have changed numbers, but it's almost November and the window to get this done is closing.
If you have not received a call, please call customer service, 413-485-1251.
What's next?
Patience. We are coming to the home stretch. Installations are getting done and we are averaging 25 /week. We anticipate that everyone who has signed up will be connected in the next 6 weeks, weather permitting.
Broadband Signup Deadline
If you're on the fence, it is time to decide. Any new requests for construction or service installations after 12/1/2020 will be paid by the customer- no town subsidies.
Just go back to the WCF sign up page and put in your changes, call WCF customer service ,1-413-485-1251, or email the MLP committee and we can help you out.
Municipal Network Updates
Municipal Network Updates
As part of the recent construction of our community fiber optic broadband network, the Cummington Municipal Light Plant, directed the engineering, design and construction of a separate, independent fiber optic network connecting all municipal facilities in the Town of Cummington.
Construction of this network provides the necessary foundation to transition all municipal services to one centralized network. Currently key town personnel have very limited means to work remotely. This limitation has been exacerbated with the COVID-19 pandemic.
The primary objective of this project, is to connect Cummington municipal facilities through one secure closed network to allow for secure information sharing, secure centralized data storage, secure internet connectivity, allow secure remote access to identified key personnel. Remote access is a priority to allow for continuity of operations in our small rural community, especially in this COVID-19 environment we are operating in.
Mike Perkins, our Police Chief has spearheaded this project, and along with the rest of the MLP committee, have consulted with Tim Haas, of Hass Networks, who designed the municipal system for the town of Leverett. We have applied for a community compact grant to provide a solid infrastructure for the future of Cummington.
If the grant is approved, and the municipal network is deployed and brought online, the town would immediately see the following benefits:
1. Improved data security
2. Consolidated data storage
3. Secure remote access for key town officials to allow for remote working in order to maintain continuity of operations especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.
4. Cost savings as all municipal entities would be utilizing one internet connection, thus saving the town from having to pay for multiple internet connections.
Here's a link to quickly check to see which area your home is in. https://bit.ly/findmyFSA
FREE Options for Streaming
Options for Streaming
In addition to all the options offered by various companies, you can also freely stream content with just your library card. Our local library doesn't currently offer Kanopy, but guess what? You can get a Boston Public Library ecard and use that for Kanopy. or Hoopla. This is not an ad for this particular service, but simply to let you know that there are options- free options- that you can actually access with our excellent broadband system.
How do you get a BPL ecard?
An eCard is a Boston Public Library card that you can sign up for online, opens a new window and which provides access to all online resources, including OverDrive and Hoopla.
eCards are available to anyone who lives, resides part-time to attend school, owns property, or works in Massachusetts.
Stream Thousands of Thoughtful Films Courtesy of Boston Public Library!
Your library and Kanopy make it easy for you to enjoy incredible films for free every month. Start watching today and discover your new favorite films.
Boston Public Library gives you 8 credits to use to watch award-winning films each month, and you will receive a new set of play credits on the first day of each month.
What else?
Check out this article to find even more free sites for streaming. Have you tried Crackle? How about Pluto TV?
One caveat. I noticed that this article tells you that " If a website requires a cable subscription to stream on-demand content, ask a friend or family member for their login info."
No, please don't do that. That is not legal...
Billing
Thank you.
Contact Us or Whip City Customer Service
http://www.cummington-ma.gov/MLPBoard.php
WCF Internet Service Provider (ISP)
Email: mlpmanager@cummington-ma.gov
Website: https://www.whipcityfiber.com/cummington/
Location: 33 Main St, Cummington, MA, USA
Phone: 413-485-1251
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cummingtonmlp
Twitter: @CummingtonMlp
Cummington MLP
Allan Douglas, MLP Manager
Maureen Tumenas
Scott Keith
Brenda Arbib
Mike Perkins
Having trouble? Who do you call?
If your power is out- call Eversource: 800-592-2000
If your landline is out- call Verizon: 1-800-922-0204