Executive Council Approves an Additional $40 Million for High-Speed Broadband in Rural New Hampshire
In case you missed it, Executive Councilor Cinde Warmington and a majority of the Executive Council approved additional tens of millions of dollars to continue improving the state's broadband infrastructure at last week's meeting.
"I have been working with the Department of Business and Economic Affairs to ensure the most rural parts of New Hampshire have access to this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity," said Executive Councilor Cinde Warmington. "I am happy to report that, with this newly secured investment, nearly 25,000 additional locations that were previously unserved or underserved will have high-speed broadband. In District 2, a total of 9,002 locations across twenty communities will now be served."
The availability of reliable, high-speed internet is critical to the future of the Granite State," said Warmington. "Without it, communities will be limited in accessing critical health care and educational services, recruiting and retaining a strong workforce, and inviting a new generation of families to call our state home. This is an incredible step in the right direction."
Read more about Councilor Warmington's work to secure additional funding for broadband services online here and share.
Key excerpts:
Consolidated Communications would offer high-speed broadband services to thousands of homes in the Monadnock Region and elsewhere across the state under a proposal before the N.H. Executive Council.
Councilor Cinde Warmington, whose district takes in much of the Monadnock Region, said access to broadband enables people to work remotely from home and to receive telehealth and educational services.
“Broadband is so critical to the way we all function now,” Warmington, D-Concord, said in an interview Monday. “To be without it is such a disadvantage for any community.”
She also said it helps communities entice businesses and young people.
Federal funds would be used for this broadband expansion effort, just as they were last year when the Executive Council awarded $50 million to the N.H. Electric Cooperative for a program involving 23,000 households across the state. Cheshire County did not benefit under that program.
Under the current proposal, $40 million would be awarded over the next three years, and the projects would need to be completed no later than Dec. 31, 2026.