Kansas City, United States – Rural fibre-optic network design and construction management provider, Conexon, and New Hampshire Electric Cooperative (NHEC) are expanding their partnership to bring fibre-to-the-home (FTTH) service across the cooperative’s territory.
NHEC and Conexon have worked together to provide gigabit-speed internet access to two communities, Acworth and Sandwich, and will soon expand to 32 communities throughout Grafton County. NH Broadband, the co-op’s fibre subsidiary, will ultimately offer high-speed fibre internet service that spans nine counties and nearly 120 communities. Service is available today for customers in Acworth, Sandwich, Clarksville, Colebrook, Lempster and Stewartstown, and is expected to be available to initial customers in Grafton County by first quarter 2023.
Conexon provides a comprehensive range of fibre broadband services including network design, construction project management, engineering and operations support. Additionally, through its internet service provider subsidiary, Conexon Connect, the company is also providing services including customer sign-ups, installations, billing, technical support and access to multi-gigabit speed packages.
“Over the past several years, I’ve heard people analogise rural broadband to the rural electrification movement of the 1930s and 1940s,” Conexon partner Jonathan Chambers says. “To us, it isn’t an analogy; it’s a reality. The same companies that built electric networks across the nation are building broadband networks. Alyssa Clemsen Roberts was one of the first to recognise how electric cooperatives could solve the digital divide. In fact, Alyssa introduced me to that very idea when I was at the FCC. She also introduced me to Randy Klindt. I’m thrilled Alyssa has joined NHEC and will lead this new endeavor.”
The lightning-fast fibre-optic network offered by NH Broadband will give members access to symmetrical multi-gigabit internet capabilities – among the fastest and most robust in the nation. Additionally, it will enable enhancements and smart grid capabilities to the electrical infrastructure, including improved power outage response times, better load balancing and more efficient electricity delivery.
“Making high-speed, affordable internet available to all of our members who need it is a major undertaking, on par with the effort to bring light and power to these same locations more than 80 years ago,” NHEC President/CEO Alyssa Clemsen Roberts says. “We’re thrilled to have Conexon’s resources and experience available as we work to bring this next essential service to our members.”
Conexon brings to the project unmatched experience and expertise in deploying rural FTTH networks. The company has designed more than 200,000 miles of fibre for cooperative projects and builds more than 50,000 fibre miles of fibre annually. In addition, Conexon has created a broad ecosystem of equipment and labor resources specialising in rural fibre builds. Since forming six years ago, Conexon has assisted nearly 275 electric cooperatives, 75 of which are deploying fibre networks, with more than 500,000 connected fibre-to-the-home subscribers across the U.S.
“We’re excited to build on our current relationship with New Hampshire Electric Cooperative and make a difference in the lives of even more residents who are currently unserved or underserved with broadband,” Conexon founding partner Randy Klindt says. “We are pleased to have such a positive and productive partnership with Alyssa and her team, one that enables us to further our mission of closing the digital divide.”
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