New Hampshire FastRoads LLC began the first phase of its project to bring high-speed broadband to western New Hampshire, awarding a design and project management contract for the development of its regional broadband network to Design Nine.
Design Nine will design a next-generation fiber network that will deliver 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, N.H., 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.
New Hampshire FastRoads is a Limited Liability Company (LLC) of the Monadnock Economic Development Corp. N.H. 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.
NH FastRoads and NNHN are funded by an economic stimulus grant and private funding to expand broadband coverage to keep the state vibrant, innovative and relevant for businesses, citizens and educational institutions. The organization’s work will enable delivery of a variety of services, such as consumer and business Internet access, voice telephony (VoIP), IP-based television, movies on demand, business class videoconferencing, health care services (e.g., in- home monitoring), home and business security, computer backup, public access television, Internet radio, and other advanced services.
“Design Nine has helped build many broadband networks, and is one of the few firms in the country with experience in open access, fiber to the premise broadband networks, which FastRoads will be. The company was also instrumental in providing the broadband planning, network architecture design, financial planning, and grant writing that enabled FastRoads to partner with NNHN in submitting a successful grant proposal for funding,” says Carole Monroe, FastRoads executive director.
“Our work with FastRoads will help the region prosper in the knowledge economy. In addition to designing the network, our role is to enable FastRoads staff and board members to make smart technology and strategic decisions, based on our teams’ 160+ years of combined experience in planning and project management of open access broadband networks,” says Andrew Cohill, Design Nine’s founder and CEO.