BOSTON- Governor Deval Patrick and State Representative Timothy R. Madden today joined state and local leaders on Cape Cod to celebrate a $32 million federal award received by the regional non-profit OpenCape Corporation through the U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration’s (NTIA) Broadband Technology Opportunities Program (BTOP).

This award will be combined with $8 million in state and regional funding for a $40 million investment in the region. OpenCape’s project will create over 400 jobs, fostering economic development and long-term regional growth.

“This is terrific news for the Cape. We are grateful to the Obama Administration and our Congressional delegation for supporting this critical economic development initiative for the Cape,” said Governor Patrick. “In addition to supporting the important work OpenCape and its partners are doing to bring new economic opportunity to the Cape and the Islands, we are re-doubling our efforts to deliver high-speed Internet connectivity to thousands of individuals and businesses in western Massachusetts. We will not stop until every region of the state has the building blocks in place to compete in the 21st century economy.”

The Cape and Islands have a different set of needs than those of rural areas, such as western Massachusetts, or major metropolitan areas, such as Boston. It has some minimal services that are not available in rural areas, but it does not have the robust telecommunications infrastructure it needs to support the economic, educational, public safety and governmental needs of the region.

With this federal award, OpenCape will provide critical middle-mile capacity for the Cape Cod region by building a 350-mile fiber-optic backbone, wireless microwave network and regional data center. This open-access broadband network will create opportunities for jobs, economic diversification and regional efficiencies in government, and will connect over 60 anchor institutions – including schools, libraries, colleges, heath centers and public safety facilities – on Cape Cod, Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket. It will also enable last-mile providers to reach underserved residents, allow health care facilities to meet complex networking and archiving needs, and create emergency redundancy in the hurricane-vulnerable region.

“This is very good news. These broadband services are vital to the growth of our excellent institutions in Woods Hole. We find that fast and dependable access to technology via the internet has become essential to continue the important research being done at these institutions. In today’s world, everyone needs rapid and reliable access to the internet,” said Representative Timothy R. Madden.