OLLI at BCC Series to Present 'How We Got to ICE'

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PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at Berkshire Community College (OLLI at BCC) presents the next installment of its Distinguished Speakers Series on Wednesday, Feb. 25 at 7 p.m. 
 
Former Professor Tom Gerety and Professor Mai Ngai will present, "How We Got to ICE: A Conversation with One of America's Premier Historians of Immigration." The talk is free and open to all, and a Zoom link will be provided upon registration.  
 
As part of OLLI's series of discussions of laws and Constitution under President Trump, Tom Gerety will join Mae Ngai of Columbia University to explore the precedents, particularly as events unfolded in Minnesota.     
 
This event will be recorded and posted to the YouTube channel OLLI: The Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at Berkshire Community College. 
 
Professor Mai Ngai holds the Lung Family chair in Asian American Studies and History. She started her career as a labor organizer and teacher in New York City and earned her PhD at Columbia University under the direction of abolition historian Eric Foner. She has written several notable books on immigration to America, including "Impossible Subjects: Illegal Aliens and Making of Modern America" and "The Lucky Ones: One Family and the Extraordinary Invention of Chinese America." Ngai has won numerous awards, including the Frederick Jackson Turner prize and a Guggenheim Fellowship.  
 
Tom Gerety taught constitutional law through most of his career. He retired as a Collegiate Professor of law and humanities at New York University. He headed up the Brennan Center for Justice and was president of both Trinity and Amherst Colleges. He has law and philosophy degrees from Yale.  
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Pittsfield Council OKs Underground Fiber Network

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — More underground fiber internet cables will be installed in Pittsfield. 

On Tuesday, the City Council approved Gateway Fiber's request to install an underground fiber network infrastructure within the city's right-of-way.  

The company was given the go-ahead for an aerial network last year alongside Archtop Fiber, marking the beginning of construction with a ribbon-cutting at the Colonial Theatre. Gateway Fiber will offer subscription plans ranging from $65 to $150 per month, depending on speed. 

Wards 3 and 4 will see the most work in the first phase, according to an underground fiber deployment plan.  Fourteen streets in Ward 4 will see underground fiber deployment; 13 streets in Ward 3.  

Ward 4 Councilor James Conant voted in opposition for personal reasons, as he signed up for Gateway Fiber briefly last year and said he had poor service and poor communication from the company. 

Some councilors and community members appreciated bringing competition to Spectrum internet services. Ward 5 Councilor Patrick Kavey pointed out that it costs about $90 per month for 500 megabytes per second with Spectrum, and that all three fiber services that have come to Pittsfield are cheaper. 

Operations Manager Jennifer Sharick explained that they were seeking approval for underground fiber deployment as part of the next phase in Pittsfield. The city was found to be a "very" viable community for underground fiber. 

Gateway Fiber, she said, originally served a community of 250 residents outside of St. Louis, Mo. 

"Following the pandemic, we saw the need, and what people need for fiber and reliable internet service to bring residents and businesses the opportunity for connectivity," Sharick said. 

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