DRAFT Broadband Plan for the SNHPC Region

1. DRAFT Broadband Plan for the SNHPC Region Southern New Hampshire Planning Commission March 25, 2014 Presented By: Jack Munn, Chief Planner, SNHPC Carol Miller, Director of Broadband, NH DRED For questions contact: jmunn@snhpc.org or (603) 669-4664

2. Purpose of the Plan All RPCs in the state have been working with UNH and the broadband mapping & planning program since 2010 to better understand where broadband is currently available; how it can be made more widely available; and how to encourage increased adoption and use. This plan takes a specific look at the SNHPC Region for the first time; it establishes an understanding of the region’s broadband infrastructure and planning needs and offers recommendations moving forward. iwantbroadbandnh.org Southern New Hampshire Planning Commission

3. Broadband is in 2014 what electricity was to New Hampshire in the 1930’s – a necessity For every 10 percent increase in broadband penetration in a state, employment is projected to increase by 2 to 3 percent (Brookings Institutions, 2008) For every $1 invested in broadband, the economic benefit is nearly $3 (U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis) US investment in broadband and related information technology has driven 1/3 or more of the productivity growth in this decade (U.S. Telecom Analysis) Why Do We Care? Southern New Hampshire Planning Commission

4. The NH Broadband Mapping and Planning Program is part of a national effort to expand broadband RPCs are involved in two components – mapping and planning We have completed the mapping work and are nearing completion of planning activities through this DRAFT plan By the end of this year, all nine RPC plans are to be integrated by UNH and OEP into a composite statewide broadband report Uses of the Plan Southern New Hampshire Planning Commission

5. What is Broadband? (High Speed Internet) Southern New Hampshire Planning Commission

6. Why Mapping? • Goal: Map broadband availability by type of technology and speed in order to identify areas served, unserved and underserved • Information mapped based on data submitted by broadband providers in the state; • Data aggregated to census block geography for analysis/display • Data collected and processed by UNH; submitted to NTIA on a six-month cycle (March 31, September 30) for inclusion in the National Broadband Map (see http://broadbandmap.gov) • 10 Maps generated for each region of the state Southern New Hampshire Planning Commission

7. Data Verification Town Verification Project Speed Tests Other Data Sets • Commercial data sets • Data reported to FCC (477 data) • Satellite dish inventories • Community meetings Drive Tests Consumer Surveys Southern New Hampshire Planning Commission

8. Broadband Technology and Maximum Advertised Download Speed Southern New Hampshire Planning Commission

9. Broadband Availability by Maximum Advertised Download Speed Southern New Hampshire Planning Commission

10. Level of Service for Broadband Intensive Applications and Use Southern New Hampshire Planning Commission

11. Broadband Availability Southern New Hampshire Planning Commission

12. Broadband Availability for Uses that Require Moderate Speeds Southern New Hampshire Planning Commission

13. Broadband Availability for Uses that Require High Speeds Southern New Hampshire Planning Commission

14. Broadband Availability for Community Anchor Institutions Southern New Hampshire Planning Commission

15. Degree of Competition for Broadband Availability Southern New Hampshire Planning Commission

16. Satellite Broadband Service Southern New Hampshire Planning Commission

17. Wireless Versus Terrestrial Wireless Service Availability Southern New Hampshire Planning Commission

18. Why Planning? • Opportunity to determine/prioritize needs for broadband services; identify goals, recommendations for improvements; foster collaboration and public outreach and seek public involvement • Between October 2012 and February 2013, five focus group exchanges held with businesses, residents, medical, economic development, government, public safety to identify/discuss broadband issues/challenges and opportunities • Total - two Public Forums held & DRAFT Plan posted on website • Press release & public notice posted in Union Leader in March 2014 advertising this public meeting Southern New Hampshire Planning Commission

19. Work of the BSG • Broadband Stakeholders Group (BSG) -- formed in 2012 to guide outreach and plan development • Total of eight BSG meetings held since 2012 – most recent meeting February 2014 to finalize key actions & recommendations Southern New Hampshire Planning Commission

20. Overall Findings • Deerfield is the only community identified as “underserved”; • Most of region is currently well served with over 14 different service providers; • Still many “end of the line” scattered/isolated pockets exist in almost every municipality lacking moderate/high speed Internet; • Except for the City Manchester and the Town of Bedford, the municipalities in our region do not have broadband plans in place; • Many low-income households in Manchester cannot afford Internet – (only 20% of households in inner city have Internet access); • Internet costs vary considerably: $20-$50/month to well over $100 with bundled services Southern New Hampshire Planning Commission

21. Overall Findings • Except for Manchester, very few communities have broadband connectivity between municipal buildings and key public facilities, and only Bedford is currently planning to make this investment in the future; • Limited public funding available for broadband infrastructure/expansion at state and municipal levels. State legislature recently authorized towns can use bonds for improvements; • Property owners/neighborhoods desiring Broadband currently have few choices but to work collaboratively with ISPs to pay for line extensions; • Many municipal buildings, businesses and residential users do not have reliable or back up power when lights go out during emergencies; • Many existing poles are owned by utility companies and it is often very time consuming and expensive to obtain approvals to “make ready” these poles for broadband; Southern New Hampshire Planning Commission

22. Overall Findings • Broadband is often not included in local cable franchise agreements and negotiating new agreements is difficult and costly, requiring legal counsel; • New construction is often built without conduits for future broadband (fiber) installation; • There are only a few businesses with free Wi-Fi and limited public Wi-Fi hot spots in the region; • There are disadvantaged sectors – refugees, low-income residents including veterans and senior citizens, handicapped individuals, etc. who are left behind technologically because they cannot afford a computer or Internet services; • Municipalities need more resources and expertise in addressing their broadband issues and needs. Southern New Hampshire Planning Commission

23. Key Recommendations Southern New Hampshire Planning Commission

24. What Your Community Can Do… • Maintain a list of addresses/tax parcels at “end of the line” areas where Broadband infrastructure is lacking in your community; • Planning Boards, public officials, IT staff should work together to develop local Broadband plans for their communities – where and how infrastructure can/should be installed and where connectivity between public facilities/buildings could be enhanced; • Continue to monitor availability of state/federal funding as well as potential future funding from ISP mergers/acquisitions/penalties, etc. • Seek participation in future UNH Cooperative Extension Broadband Community Readiness Programs; resources; toolkits, etc. Southern New Hampshire Planning Commission

25. What SNHPC Can Do… • Assist UNH, OEP, Cooperative Extension in developing these resources, providing tools and assistance to communities; • Assist the City of Manchester in seeking funding and developing public/private partners in pursuing/implementing its public Wi-Fi program at designated facilities and locations in the city and possibly surrounding communities; • Provide support to DRED, UNH, OEP in encouraging major ISPs to 1) continue to increase Internet speeds; and 2) offer & expand similar Broadband adoption/affordability programs as Comcast Internet Essentials to more disadvantaged populations – senior citizens, unemployed veterans/students, disabled and handicapped residents, home-based businesses and employees who telecommute; Southern New Hampshire Planning Commission

26. Acknowledgements Broadband Stakeholders Group (BSG) Jennie Angell, IT Director, City of Manchester Deborah Boisvert, Technology Coordinator, Deerfield Schools Gent Cav, President/CTO, G4 Eric DeLong, IT Director, Town of Windham Ron Fredette, Managing Director, KW Commercial Susan Rand King, President, Granite State Communications Mike Koustas, Fiber Design Manager, Waveguide Michael Lawler, Attorney, Goffstown Representative Stuart Lewin, New Boston Planning Board John Meehan, Director of Sales, Waveguide Matthew Mercier, President and Founder, Acapella Technologies Carol Miller, Director of Broadband, NH DRED Brian Olsen, Business Development Manager, Emerson Network Power Ingo Roemer, VP Business Development, 186 Communications Laura Scott, Community Development Director, Town of Windham Will Stewart, VP Economic Development, Greater Manchester Chamber Brian Tew, IT Director, Catholic Medical Center Southern New Hampshire Planning Commission

27. Thank You For Questions Go To: Mapping: David Foote or Michael Blair, UNH: dfoote@unh.edu michael.blair@unh.edu Amy Kizak, SNHPC: akizak@snhpc.org Planning: Jack Munn, SNHPC, jmunn@snhpc.org State of NH: Carol Miller, DRED, carol.miller@dred.state.nh.us Southern New Hampshire Planning Commission