Only a couple months ago, Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick signed the Massachusetts Broadband Act that provided some $40 billion in funds for broadband infrastructure. Like so many governors across the country, Governor Patrick realizes the importance of providing broadband access to every citizen in his state. From health care to the environment broadband is the foundation of the innovative technologies that are improving our quality of life everyday.

Last week the Massachusetts Broadband Institute issued a “Call for Solutions” in an attempt to identify public-private partnerships throughout the state that would help lead to increased investment and deployment of broadband. Communities throughout America have turned to the public-private model as a way to build upon the rapid expansion of broadband that has exploded across the U.S. And it works.

Connected Nation has been a leader in public-private partnership initiatives — showing how far a little cooperation can go in states like Kentucky and Tennessee. Massachusetts got the memo and is applying these principles in-state. According to a release by the Department of Housing and Economic Development, the state’s ability to invest is seen as necessary to “leverage additional investments by private companies to deliver complete solutions to customers in regions without broadband access.”

Massachusetts gets it. Access to broadband is essential if Americans are going to realize the benefits if offers through increased access to affordable health care, better education, a greener environment and jobs. Read the memo — public-private partnerships are a great place to start.

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