Broadband Project

ABOUT

Tackling Broadband connectivity from the County-level is a cost-effective measure and avoids the additional cost associated with a piece-meal network. The rural nature of Grafton County and the lack of population centers is an inhibitor to private ISPs (Internet Service Providers) due to the lack of available return on investment. This project will develop the middle-mile backbone network through population centers by utilizing a combination of building new fiber optic cable where there are obvious gaps and optimizing existing infrastructure, when possible.

Grafton County, through its Middle Mile Project will deploy a resilient, open-access, fiber-optic, middle-mile network to connect 24 municipalities within the County. This middle-mile fiber network will provide a scalable future-proof broadband network to support county, municipal, and public safety services as well as an open access platform to support last-mile broadband and connectivity across the underserved and unserved census blocks within the County. The network will also directly support other industry services such as education, healthcare, and economic development. The middle-mile network will connect and integrate into the Bristol, NH fiber network with key connections to the UNH network, Bristol’s ISP connection, and to future networks within the State of Vermont and adjacent Counties in New Hampshire. The project includes interconnection points at the Town Halls in 24 communities.

In addition to connecting to towns with a secure and reliable connection, the Grafton County network will be an open access regional dark fiber middle mile network which will provide any ISP the ability to deploy the technology they utilize for their broadband service delivery. The infrastructure is dark fiber only and therefore it supports any and all lit service technology deployed by ISPs. ISPs will lease the dark fiber to support service to the end users, and leasing the dark fibers is not dependent upon the ISPs end user take-rate.