This article appeared in the Dec. 20, 2011, edition of the Ledger-Transcript.

http://www.ledgertranscript.com/article/world-connected-only-by-dial-up

In an era of booming online commerce, local businesses struggle to connect

By Jessica Camille Aguirre

Ken Callahan has been selling used books since 1975. Callahan and Company Booksellers specializes in out-of-print hunting and fishing guides, and has historically relied on mail-order service for the bulk of its profits. A few years ago, Callahan’s business model began to buckle. The things he had always done — going to the post office to look up zip codes, for example — began to take a painstakingly long time. But it wasn’t because he was slowing down. It was because the world around him was speeding up. In a world of fiber-optic Internet connections and 4G networks, Callahan was still using dial-up. And he needed something faster.

“I spent huge amounts of time, wasted time, just trying to get a signal,” Callahan said recently. “And time is money.”

Callahan lives on Route 123 in Sharon, a hilly town where inconsistent Internet coverage has the capacity to give small business owners heart palpitations.

Cable service is unavailable throughout the town; DSL was also not an option until about a year ago, when the service provider FairPoint activated DSL coverage for about 50 percent of residents, according to Sharon Administrative Assistant Chet Bowles.

It’s a dilemma that plagues many towns in the Monadnock region, whose sparse populous and uneven terrain make infrastructure for high-speed Internet a dubious investment for providers. In an economy increasingly driven by web transactions and businesses with an online presence, outmoded connections are putting local business owners at a disadvantage.

Project Will Provide Access to 1,300 Homes in Rindge and Enfield, and 220 Community Anchor institutions from Orford to Rindge.

KEENE, N.H. – October 28, 2011 – New Hampshire FastRoads, LLC, has selected Waveguide of Chelmsford, Mass. and Nashua, NH, to build out a network that will bring broadband Internet access to citizens, schools, government offices and businesses in underserved Western New Hampshire.
With the engineering and construction services of Waveguide, FastRoads is creating an open access fiber optic network with two components:

Monroe brings 30 years of technology and leadership experience
to broadband initiative for Western New Hampshire

KEENE, N.H. – August 3, 2011 – New Hampshire FastRoads LLC, a limited liability company of the Monadnock Economic Development Corporation, today announced it has appointed Carole D. Monroe as Executive Director to lead the delivery of high-speed broadband to New Hampshire’s Monadnock and Upper Valley regions.

The FastRoads project is listed under the Collaborative Projects in New England section in they May/June issue of Broadband Communities. Click the link below to download the article.

By Robert Michaelson
Monadnock Ledger-Transcript

An organization aiming to speed up connections in underserved sections of western New Hampshire has begun to move forward in implementing an improved broadband infrastructure in the region.

New Hampshire Fast-Roads has awarded a design and project management contract to Design Nine for the development of its regional network and is currently seeking an engineering firm to build it.

Design Nine will design the next-generation fiber network that will bring high-speed broadband, including Internet access, to the Upper Valley and Monadnock regions of New Hampshire. The company will provide network architecture design and mapping services, as well as assist FastRoads in all facets of project planning, including environmental assessment, bidding, procurement, quality assurance and regulatory permitting, among many other responsibilities.

Click here to read the full article in the Monadnock Ledger-Transcript

KEENE, NH – March 31, 2011 – New Hampshire FastRoads, LLC took the next step in bringing high-speed broadband to western New Hampshire, issuing a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) seeking an engineering firm to build the network.

Awards Design and Project Management Contract to Design Nine, Inc.

KEENE, NH – March 24, 2011 – New Hampshire FastRoads, LLC, an organization bringing high-speed broadband to western New Hampshire, began the first phase of its project today when it awarded a design and project management contract for the development of its regional broadband network.

Design Nine will design a next-generation fiber network that will bring high-speed broadband, including Internet access, to the Upper Valley and Monadnock Regions of New Hampshire. It will include “last-mile” network projects in Rindge and Enfield, NH, and “middle-mile” projects delivering fiber network access to 20 towns and 220 Community Anchor Institutions in the area.

Design Nine will provide network architecture design and mapping services, as well as assist FastRoads in all facets of project planning, including environmental assessment, bidding, procurement, quality assurance and regulatory permitting, among many other responsibilities. The network design will begin immediately, with construction of the first phase of the network to be completed in Spring 2012.

Organization to bring broadband telecommunications infrastructure to
New Hampshire’s Monadnock and Upper Valley Regions

KEENE, NH – Jan. 4, 2011 – New Hampshire FastRoads, LLC, an organization bringing high-speed broadband to New Hampshire’s Monadnock and Upper Valley regions, announced the formation of its board of directors today.

NH FastRoads is a collaboration of the New Hampshire Community Development Finance Authority, the Monadnock Economic Development Corporation, and the 43 towns and cities of the Monadnock and Upper Valley regions. NH FastRoads is partnering with Network New Hampshire Now (NNHN), a collaboration of public and private organizations to develop a high-speed broadband network throughout the state.