Granite State Co-op Hosts VP Harris to Discuss Broadband

The introductory email from the Office of the Vice President was initially met with a healthy dose of skepticism following a years-long effort at Plymouth-based New Hampshire Electric Cooperative (NHEC) to combat email phishing scams. Fortunately, after some due diligence, NHEC was able to connect with Vice President Kamala Harris’ ground team to begin planning an onsite event to highlight the need for rural broadband funding and access.

On Friday, April 23, Vice President Harris was joined by U.S. Senator Maggie Hassan, representatives from NHEC and local officials to discuss the cooperative’s efforts to expand high-speed internet access to rural New Hampshire and highlight federal funding opportunities in the American Jobs Plan to support future growth.

“We were honored to host Vice President Harris and appreciate her taking the time to learn more about NHEC and our work to expand broadband,” NHEC President and CEO Steve Camerino said. “Access to affordable, reliable, high-speed internet service is critical to our members and the communities we serve.”

Federal and state programs will continue to be a vital source of funding to expand rural broadband. Last year, with the support of its board, NHEC applied for and secured two grants from the Connecting New Hampshire Emergency Broadband Expansion Program. The grants were unique in the speed of the awards process, as well as the condensed timeline to complete construction of the fiber-optic network. By the end of 2020, NH Broadband, a subsidiary of NHEC, connected nearly 1,000 previously unserved members with access to high-speed internet.

Broadband Funding Creates Opportunities and Unexpected Challenges

The availability of funding to support broadband expansion is a tremendous opportunity for cooperatives, but it can also create unexpected challenges. The unprecedented national push to expand broadband can make finding qualified contractors and fiber-optic cable difficult, leading to longer than expected lead times and higher labor costs.

NHEC is currently refining its plans for how it will fund its broadband buildout. The cooperative is looking to leverage a range of funding sources, including long- and short-term financing, federal and state grants and potential partnerships.

“CFC has been very flexible to meet our needs and provided a letter of credit when we participated in the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund reverse auction,” Camerino explained. “We’re looking forward to sharing our broadband business plan with CFC to get their feedback and insight from across the cooperative network.”