Marshall Miles Interviews-Meghan Flanagan: Sharon Connect Task Force Informational Meeting Monday August 15 At 6PM

Learn More at Community Meeting on Aug. 15 at 6pm Sharon Selectmen Agree to Move Forward with Comcast Proposal for Partnership to Wire Homes The Board of Selectmen this week agreed to explore further a partnership proposed by Comcast to build out its network along 27 miles of road in Sharon with 234 premises that have never before had access to its high-speed cable internet services. The proposal calls for the town of Sharon to pay $1.6 million to Comcast to build the infrastructure along the roads and also to connect the homes wishing to subscribe along the new route. If approved, the project would take six months to complete. It would be the first time that every home and business in Sharon would have access to high-speed, wired internet. This would fulfill the overarching mission of the Sharon Connect Task Force, which formed in Nov. 2019 to explore all the options the town could pursue to get everyone connected. Comcast proposes to build out the parts of town it doesn't currently serve within six months of getting all the necessary approvals to attach its wires to utility poles and dig along the roads where there are no poles. Subscribers could choose to receive internet, phone, and cable television over the connection. Comcast will offer different tiers of internet download speeds up to 1,200 Mbps (in varying price ranges). Those who have difficulty affording the service could qualify for a federal subsidy to offset a portion or all of the monthly bill.  To learn more about the proposal, please attend a Community Informational Meeting on Monday, August 15 at 6 pm. The meeting will be a hybrid, both in person at Town Hall and online on Zoom. Click the button below to register to attend the meeting. (The in-person meeting will follow Covid protocols. Seating may be limited and masks are required.) A Comcast representative will attend the meeting to answer questions.  Click Here to Sign Up for Community Meeting After the Community Meeting, the Task Force will come back to the Board of Selectmen to start the funding process. If the Board of Selectmen approve a funding plan, it would be sent to the Board of Finance for consideration. If the Board of Finance agrees on a plan, that would go to a Town Meeting for residents to vote on whether to approve the deal.  At the end of March 2022, the Sharon Connect Task Force presented the town with a proposal to build a town-owned fiber-optic internet network that would connect everyone at a cost of $12.5 million. Regardless of the outcome of the Comcast proposal in Sharon, Task Force members will continue to support and participate in discussions for a region-wide municipal network.