West Springfield's Fiber Rollout Is Off to a Slow Start

The West Springfield Town Council closed out its FY27 budget season on June 1, approving $2.52 million for the broadband enterprise fund. But when the town's fiber project came up for discussion, even its supporters acknowledged it hasn't gone according to plan.

Councilor Frederick Connor, discussing the broadband enterprise fund during the meeting, acknowledged there's a little catching up to do. “Despite the delays, I’m encouraged we will move forward,” Connor said.

Whip City Fiber's own coverage map shows exactly what that catching up looks like. The provider has designated at least 50 “fiberhoods” across town, the areas eligible to get connected once enough residents sign up. Of those 50, only 10 are actually online.

The map also shows where the rollout has and hasn't reached. The fiberhoods currently in service are clustered toward the western side of town, in some of West Springfield's more affluent neighborhoods. Neighborhoods closer to the Connecticut River, meanwhile, are still listed as “Gathering Interest,” Whip City's designation for areas with no construction timeline at all.

Town officials have said the broadband enterprise fund is meant to serve the whole town, not just the neighborhoods that build interest first. With 40 of 50 fiberhoods still waiting and no published schedule for when, or if, the remaining neighborhoods will get a construction date, residents along the river have reason to ask when their turn is coming.

The broadband fund passed without debate, a sign of how much confidence the Council has placed in the project. Whether that confidence extends to every neighborhood, including the ones still waiting, is a fair question for residents to keep asking as fiscal year 2027 gets underway.