17 Gig Towns, one ribbon and a very good night in Coos County
Award nights usually come with trophies, a nice room and a long list of thank-yous. The Coos Economic Development Corporation’s annual Business Leaders of Coos (BLOC) Awards had all of that on June 18 at the Mountain View Grand Resort and Spa in Whitefield. They also had a ribbon cutting.
Here’s the math on the night. One partnership between Fidium and the State of New Hampshire. More than 20,000 homes and businesses with access to all-fiber internet. Seventeen communities with a brand-new “Gig Town” title.
So, about that title
Each of the 17 Coos County communities received the “Gig Town” designation, which recognizes widespread access to gig-speed connectivity. Representatives from those communities were on hand for the ribbon cutting, and The Berlin Sun reported that CEDC Board members, local elected officials, congressional delegation representatives and state government leaders were in the room.
The speeds are multi-gig and symmetrical, so uploads keep pace with downloads. That means video calls, cloud-based business apps, telehealth visits and virtual classrooms all get a roomier connection.
“Connectivity is no longer optional, it’s foundational,” said Sarah Davis, vice president of Market Development for Fidium.
CEDC Board President Carol Miller echoed the sentiment: a connected county is a necessity.
How a grant became a Gig Town
The expansion was made possible through broadband grants awarded to Fidium to close the digital divide in unserved and underserved communities. It’s a public-private team effort, and the state sees it that way too.
“This milestone demonstrates what can be accomplished through strong public-private partnerships,” said Matt Conserva, Broadband Initiative Manager for the New Hampshire Department of Business and Economic Affairs.
The roll call
Fiber access now reaches communities including Berlin, Dalton, Dummer, Errol, Gorham, Jefferson, Lancaster, Milan, Northumberland, Pittsburg, Randolph, Shelburne, Stark, Stratford, Wentworth’s Location and Whitefield. More locations across the county will be connected soon.
Zooming out
Across New Hampshire, more than 400,000 homes and businesses can now access Fidium’s fiber, delivered over a network of more than 17,500 miles of all-fiber. Coos County residents and businesses can check availability at FidiumFiber.com.
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