New Hampshire FastRoads, LLC, an organization bringing high-speed broadband to western New Hampshire, began the first phase of its project 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 NH. It will include "last-mile" network projects in Rindge and Enfield 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 an of the Monadnock Economic Development Corporation. The organization was established to bring accessible and affordable broadband to the towns of the Monadnock and Upper Valley regions. The company partners with Network New Hampshire Now, a collaboration of public and private organizations to develop a statewide high-speed broadband network.
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. NH FastRoads' mission is to ensure that homes, businesses and institutions of the region have the best broadband infrastructure to support jobs and sustainable economic development. The organization's work will enable delivery of a variety of services such as consumer and business Internet access, (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 many other advanced services.
According to FastRoads Executive Director Carole Monroe, Design Nine was awarded the contract in a highly competitive bidding process due to its deep experience in designing open access, open services networks. "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."
Design Nine was founded in 1987 to provide technology advice and services to community, business, and public clients. The company offers a comprehensive array of technology advisory services, telecommunications project management, and broadband design assistance. The company was selected as a Broadband Properties top 100 company in 2008, 2009 and 2010.
"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," said Andrew Cohill, Design Nine's founder and CEO.
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