Internet service provider Fitchburg Fiber Co. has established a new cooperative to create a community-owned local fiber infrastructure, set to launch a mobile phone service in the spring.
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Internet service provider Fitchburg Fiber Co. has established a new cooperative to create a community-owned local fiber infrastructure, set to launch a mobile phone service in the spring.
Old Growth Cooperative aims to locally anchor communication services, such as mobile talk, text, and data services, to promote equitable access and better serve the needs of the North Central Massachusetts community, according to a Thursday press release from Fitchburg Fiber Co.
“The key to our pitch to the community is that just looking at our communications spending, what do the people and businesses of our community spend on cell phones and internet? We're sending 80 million dollars up the river every year. We've got to take that power back so that we can control our own destiny again,” Tristan Taylor, Fitchburg Fiber Co. co-founder, said in the release.
Fitchburg Fiber Co. was co-founded by 2025 40 Under Forty honoree Andrew DeChristopher.
The cooperative’s first initiative will be to launch its mobile phone service this year, seeking to cut clients’ cell phone bills in half through a zero-commitment structure offering cost-effective plans and live human support, according to the company’s website. The platform already has 122 registered lines out of the 1,000 available.
Preliminary plan rates range from $15 per month to $35, depending on the number of gigabytes and speed data. All plans offer unlimited talk and text. Members will be able to keep their existing phone numbers with coverage in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico. While some will be able to keep using their current phones, not all phones will be compatible with the new service.
Old Growth Cooperative looks to center democratic governance and profit sharing, in the hopes of future expansion into the sectors of energy, logistics, housing, food production, and factories.
The co-op is offering founding member opportunities, each for an investment of $250 that can be paid in $5 installments.
Old Growth Cooperative is working in partnership with Fitchburg-based NewVue Communities and Boston Center for Community Ownership to prepare for investment rounds.
Mica Kanner-Mascolo is a staff writer at Worcester Business Journal, who primarily covers the healthcare, manufacturing, and higher education industries.
