$12 million for Grafton County to expand broadband
A 222-mile fiber optic cable will bring faster and more reliable high-speed internet to homes, schools, hospitals and businesses in Grafton County, thanks to a $12 million federal grant to build and improve broadband.
The project will create an open-access, middle-mile fiber-optic network throughout Grafton County, according to the U.S. Department of Commerce. Grafton is ranked 4 out of 10 among Granite State counties with the least availability of 100 Mbps broadband service. The backbone cable will facilitate internet speeds of up to 1Gbps to homes and businesses, according to the commerce department. Some 6,100 households or 12% of the rural county’s total are considered unserved according to the definition used by the National Institute of Standards and Technology.
“Providing the resources to connect unserved and underserved communities is one of the best investments we can make to secure future growth in our state,” said U.S. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, who helped negotiate the bipartisan infrastructure law responsible for the funding.
The investment is considered a game-changer, and will make future technology upgrades less expensive, U.S. Rep. Annie Kuster said in a press release from New Hampshire’s congressional delegation.
The money will help close New Hampshire’s “digital equality gap,” boost local economies and improve quality of life, Rep. Chris Pappas stated in the release.
“For years, Granite Staters have pushed to expand high-speed access to every family and community,” said Sen. Maggie Hassan, and this law “makes it a reality.”
The grant is one piece of a $1 billion program to reduce the cost of constructing, acquiring or improving ‘middle mile’ infrastructure. Last year, Congress pushed for implementing $65 billion for broadband expansion across the country.
No information was available Wednesday on how soon the fiber optic cable could be completed.