Falmouth Got Fiber Without Putting Taxpayers on the Hook

Falmouth spent years deciding whether to build its own fiber network. Instead, a private company is building one for the town, at no cost to taxpayers. Gateway Fiber, already operating in central and western Massachusetts, began construction this fall and expects to offer service later this year.

The cost won’t fall on taxpayers. Gateway is building the network with its own money and taking on its own risk. According to Courtney Bird, chair of Falmouth’s Broadband Municipal Light Plant, the town’s part is permitting and coordination with no financial contribution.

The government-owned route was on the table. In 2022, Town Meeting created the Municipal Light Plant so Falmouth could build and own a network itself at an estimated $55 million. A feasibility study found 45 percent of households would need to sign up just to break even, and it would take five years to get there. If sign-ups fell short, taxpayers would have covered the gap. The Select Board declined to fund it.

Falmouth got this right. With a private provider, the take rate doesn’t determine whether residents get service or what the town owes. If fewer people subscribe than Gateway expects, Gateway carries that, and the town’s budget for essential priorities like schools, roads, and water stays untouched.

Residents are already seeing the benefit. Gateway’s standard pricing elsewhere in Massachusetts starts at $65 a month for 600 Mbps, and Falmouth residents can pre-order now and get construction updates for their address.

Gateway plans to reach roughly 80 to 85 percent of the town in its first build, so residents outside that footprint will want to watch where the lines go. For a town that came close to borrowing $55 million, Falmouth showed there is a way to get fiber that doesn’t start with a tax bill.