NH high-speed Internet access expands to areas that don’t have it

>> WELCOME TO NEW HAMPSHIRSE’ BUSINESS, I’M FRED KOCHER. TAKE A LOOK ATHE T MAP, IS AT’ NATIONAL BROADBAND MAP SHOWING THE LACK OF CONNECTIONS FORHE T HIGH SPEED INTERNET IN MONADNOCK ANDH SPEED INTERNET IN MONADNOCK NORTHWESTERN NEW HAMPSHIRE. YOU SEE THE DARKAR EAS, THAT’S WHERE THE LACK OF BROADBANDS I LOCATED. AFTER YEARS OF SLOW OR NO HIGH SPEED INTERNET IN THOSE AREAS OF NEW HAMPSHIRE AND WITH THE DEMANDS ON THE PANDEMIC ON DELIVERING EDUCATION AND HEALTH CARE AT HOME, TREHE ARE SOURCE TOSS BRING HIGH SPEED INTERNET THOSE COMMUNITIES. HERE THEY ARE. 50 MILLION FROM THE CESAR ACT. AND 100 MILLION FROM THE INFRASTRUCRETU BILL FROM CONGRESS. AND THE TOWN OF BRISTOL IN GRAFTON COUNTY CREATING BROADBAND ON ITS OWN. THE NEW HPSAMHIRE C CO-OP OFFERING THEM TO THE NORTH COUNTRY. WITH ME TO BRIEF US ONHE T PUBLIC-PRIVATE PARTNERSHIPS IN PARTICULAR AND SOME DEPLOYMENT OF SOME NEW HIGH SPEEDFI BER, BROADBDAN FIBER ISHE T CONSOLIDATNSIO COMMUNICATIONS. >> THANKS, FRED. THANKS TO BE HERE. >> NICE TO HAVE YOU. BEFORE WE GET TO THE BROADBAND FIBER YOU’VE DEVELOPED SUP ER FAST. YOVEU’ PARTNERED THROUGH NEW HAMPSHIREO T BRING HIGH SEDPE BROADBAND. AND HOW DO THOSE WORK? >> WE BEGAN TAKING ADVANTAGE OF A CHANGE IN LAW THAT ALLOWED THE COMMUNITIES TO AOWLL FINANCING IF THEY WANTED TO EXPAND IN THE COMMUNITIES. SO WE WORK WHIT PARTNERS PRIMARILY IN THE COUNTRY, PARTICULARLY IN KEANE. AND WE BUILT THE DENSE AREAS WHERE OUR INVESTORS ARE ALLOWING US TO INVEST AND TNHE WE PARTNER WITHHE T COMMUNITY TO EXTEND THE NETWORK OUT TO RURAL AREAS. ALL TOTAL OVER THE NEXT YEAR OR TWO, WE’RE ON TRACK TO BUILD ALMOST 30,000 RURAL HOMES WITH THAT PROGRAM. IT’S GREAT. >> YEAH, IT IS. YO CUROMNYPA RELEASED A NEW BROADBAND FIBERHA TT DELIVERED HIGH SPEED INTERNET. HOW FAST THAT? >> IT’S CRAZY FAST. BEHIND ME YOU SEE THE NEW LOGO, FIDIUM. THIS IS A TECH SPEAK FOR CRAZY FAST. AND WE’REIG RHT NOW OFFERING ONE GIG SYMMETRIC TO CUSTOMERS IN OUR FOOTPRINT, BUT THE NETWORK TECHNOLOGY WE’RE USINGT I EASILY SCALE UP TO0 1 GIGA BYTES. AS THE STATE OF NEWAM HPSHIRE HAS MORE NEEDSLL WE’ DELIVER IT. >> ANDHE T PANDEMIC HAS PROBABLY INCREASED THE DEMAND THAT YOU’RE FEELING FOR BROADNDBA INTERNET, HIGH SPEED INTERN,ET BECAUSE STUDENTS ARE GETTING THEIR EDUCATION HOME A LOT OF THEM REMOTELY AND GETNGTI THEIR HEALTH CARE AT HOME REMOTELY AND PU TS DEMAND ON YOU, I WOULD ASSUME. >> YEAH, THERE’S NO REQUEST THAT PEOPLE ARE USING THEIR HEOM INTERNET CONNECTION FAR MORE THAN THEY DID BEFORE THE PANDEMIC. I’VE BEEN IN THIS BUSINESS FOR SOME TIME AND WHAT IE’V NOTICED IS, FOR A LONG TIME, YOU WLDOU SEE USAGE KIND OF GO UP AND UP EVERY YEAR, SO IT’S ALMOST GONE UP FIVE YEARS WORTH. >> WOW. >> IN A YREA AND IT’S AN AMAZING INCREASE IN USAGE. IT’S CHANGED DEMOGRAPHICS AND NOW EVERYONE IS USING THE NETWORK AT HOME JUST LIKE WE ARE TO DO OUR INTERVIEW. SO THE DEMAND IS CLEARLY THERE. I THINK THAT SAID, I THINK THAT THE PANDEMIC PUT PRESSURE ON LAL BUSINESSES, YOU KN,OW OUR WORK FORCE HAS BEEN WORKING THROUGH THE CHALLENGES OF WORKING REMOTELY AND BEING SAFE WHEN WE’RE OUT IN THE FIELD, AS ALL BUSINESSES ARE. SO IT’S CERTAINLY– WE’REO N DIFFERENT THAN ANY OTHER BUSINESS, WE’VE GOT TO MANAGE THIS PANDEMICOR F OURSELVES, BUT IT’S PRETTY CARLE THAT OUR PRODUCT HELPS OTHER PEOPLE MANAGE THEIR OWN ENVIRONMENT. >> GOOD POINT. >> WHICH WE’RE PSYCHED ABOUT. >> GOOD POINT. MY THANKS TO THE PRESINTDE OF CONSUMER AND SMALL BUSINESS AT CONSOLIDATED COMMUNICATIONS THAT SERVES THE BROADBAND NEEDS FOR A GOOD SECTION OF NEW HAMPSHIRE AND IF YOU MISSED PART OF THIS BROADBAND, YOU CANO G TO WMUR.COM, WHERE

NH’s Business: High-speed Internet access expanding in NH to areas that don’t have it

Updated: 7:40 AM EST Nov 28, 2021

Fred Kocher, NH Business host

Fred Kocher sits down with Erik Garr, president of the Consumer-Small Business unit at Consolidated Communications, to discuss the expansion of high-speed internet access in New Hampshire.

Fred Kocher sits down with Erik Garr, president of the Consumer-Small Business unit at Consolidated Communications, to discuss the expansion of high-speed internet access in New Hampshire.