Dear Neighbors,

Shortly after I was elected, I began looking closely at the City’s long-running effort to build a municipally owned broadband service. The original goal was straightforward and worthwhile: create real, cost-effective competition so residents would have an alternative to the limited options that existed when the idea was first developed around 2018.

I spent 25 years of my career in the broadband industry, building broadband networks and launching new broadband services across North America and Europe. That background has helped me assess both the original intent of this project and how the marketplace and technology have evolved.

After several meetings with the mayor’s team, I learned about the project’s progress and shared my perspective on the changed market conditions and the practical challenges of moving forward. Those discussions led to agreement that the path forward should be reassessed in the Municipal Technology Committee, which I chair. To do so, I introduced a Resolution asking the city administration for a full update on the project’s status, costs, timeline, and options – including the possibility of an orderly wind-down.

On Monday, October 19, in the Municipal Technology Committee, we reviewed the project with the city administration, and both the committee and the administration agreed that the municipal broadband project should come to an end. You may watch the meeting here.

I want to be clear about why this decision makes sense for Quincy.

The market has changed. Back in 2018, the only real broadband option was Comcast/Xfinity. Starting around 2022, 5G fixed-wireless home internet from companies such as AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon became available to most households in Quincy. More recently, Verizon FiOS started to expand in the city, and in June 2026, GoNetSpeed announced a fully funded $34 million private investment to build 100 percent fiber broadband service to more than 23,000 homes and businesses across Quincy. As a result, within the next few years, residents can reasonably expect two private fiber-based broadband options in addition to the 5G fixed-wireless services that are already here. Those networks will be delivering internet service sooner than a city-built network could have, even if we had decided to move forward immediately.

There was some financial risk to the taxpayer if the city continued its plan.

To date, no physical fiber had been installed for the municipal broadband project, and the planned pilots in Quincy Point and Merrymount had not begun. Continuing would have required substantial additional public investment—roughly $50 million for the pilots and on the order of $200 million for a full citywide build, financed primarily through revenue bonds repaid by subscriber fees.

The model depended on achieving roughly a 40 percent take-rate to be financially viable. With 5G fixed-wireless options already available and private fiber networks now being built, reaching that take-rate would have been significantly more difficult.

By ending the project now, we avoid those large future commitments while the private sector addresses the original goal of greater competition. The public funds already spent on planning and engineering remain limited, and we free up staff time and City attention that can be directed to more pressing priorities.

Residents will still have competitive choices, and many are already experiencing real savings on their internet bills. 5G fixed-wireless is available today from AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon at very low cost. Verizon FiOS is available now in parts of the city, and they are expanding quickly. GoNetSpeed is expected to serve the city in the next two years. All of this is happening on a faster timeline than the municipal broadband network could have achieved. The original intention of the project was sound; the circumstances around it have simply changed.

In a final step in ending this endeavor, I have asked the City to replace the municipal broadband project page with helpful resources for finding a cost-effective broadband service provider in your area, which should be coming soon.

I appreciate the City administration’s partnership and collaboration in sharing information, reviewing the facts, and reaching this conclusion with the City Council. This is an example of how the City Council and the administration can work together constructively to make important, fiscally responsible decisions, communicating in good faith.

Sincerely,

Walter Hubley

Ward 3 City Councillor