Here we go with round 2 of this discussion. NHEC lays out its plans pretty well at
https://www.nhec.com/broadband/
The vote is to let the board rapidly take advantage of federal and state funds that will be made available over the course of the next few years. A no vote means their hands are tied and probably can't get the grants. In the last round of funding, few towns (and none in Carroll county) were able to take advantage of the CARE funds. NHEC wants to be ready for the next round.
Broadband has become a bipartisan goal, so the funding spigots will flow. Covid has shown a lot of businesses that they don't need all their workers at the office. We've also seen a gap in education to those without access to high-speed internet or can't afford it. It has to be done, the question is how to pay to get 100% coverage and which companies will do the job.
I've seen nothing in the NHEC plans that indicate the cost of supplying fiber will raise electric rates. I believe that is speculation. NHEC states that rates might even come down, since there could be profits from its new venture, especially when the infrastructure buildout is funded by government grants.
NHEC has the poles, the staff, the trucks and transformers on properties where communications gear could go. Nobody else except the phone and cable companies could help get fiber to the home at less money. The phone and cable companies have taken infrastructure funds for decades and yet have little to show for it except profits. That is why were are where we are today. The incumbent providers and people with ties to them are better at fighting progress than building it.
The CCBC meeting (which I attended) had politicians attend from state and federal offices and people from both parties. Some of the discussions, especially from Jeb Bradley, showed the bipartisan agreement. The CCBC goal is to eventually create a county wide communication district that towns could join, but this won't have an impact until at least 2022. A new communications district could apply for grants where towns have failed, but with a yes vote, NHEC could also apply for the grants, and earlier.
A presentation at the CBCC meeting showed that Sandwich, Hart's Location, Chatham, Brookfield, Eaton, Tamworth and Ossipee are in the most need of rapid expansion, but every town has at least pockets of slow or unavailable internet service. Cellular (4G/5G) coverage is often poor in these same spots and data caps limit how much the circuit can be used.
I recommend that people read the broadband info on the NHEC site, and encourage people to vote yes. There will be opportunities to put constraints on NHEC plans in the future it it looks like it will be a financial mess. I believe that to stop NHEC before it can get started is to vote to throttle the future economy of the lakes region.