I’m not trying to sell fiber. I don’t care what the technology is so long as our towns can get affordable, reliable internet. A small group of us have spent several years researching options. I, and others in Sandwich, are very familiar with Hub66 and have met with them. They have good intentions and are able to serve a few homes in Sandwich using a combination of fiber, microwave towers, and antennas. In most situations around here, if they don’t have a tower near you and/or you can’t “see” one of their towers, you won’t get service. Also, since they are reliant on a network of towers, reliability in severe weather will likely be a problem, and they don’t have the infrastructure to respond quickly to service outages. Their technology is not, and will never be, a solution for an entire town in a mountainous area. They are also a very small start-up with an unproven track record. Where will we be if they go bankrupt?
NHEC wants to lay fiber to homes using existing poles and without the use of towers, which is a proven, reliable technology. I know from public meetings that they have looked into various business models and are confident that they can provide this new service without increasing electric rates. They won’t have a detailed plan until they know if they can get some of the newly available grants for rural broadband, and they can’t apply for those grants without our approving the bylaw change. It’s a chicken and egg thing.
The important thing to remember about NHEC is that we, the consumers, own it. If there are signs that they are not delivering on their commitments, then we vote for a new slate of directors. That’s what we did this spring when we voted in directors who would support NHEC getting into the broadband business. Please feel free to send me a PM if you want to discuss this further.
|