Senate Bill 170

New Hampshire Senate Bill 170 was enacted into law in 2018. The legislation allows for municipalities to borrow money in the form of a bond to fund solutions to provide broadband internet access to those who are unserved. The law is now identified as RSA 33:3-g.

The law articulates certain steps that must be followed, including requesting information from existing internet service providers about the current state of broadband in a town, in particular which locations are unserved by the internet speeds that define the term "Broadband."

A request for proposals must be made public and providers will be able to respond. The municipalities may then choose to accept one or more proposals based upon their own deciding criteria.

In order to issue a bond to fund the project, towns must follow the standard statutory provisions of RSA 33:3 for a public-private partnership, including demonstrating the public benefit of such a project in public hearings. As with any other bond, such as for replacing a bridge or building a library, the town must also hold a bond hearing.

Finally, the town votes on the issuance of a bond at its annual Town Meeting, where a paper ballot vote must find 3/5 in favor to pass.

Greenfield Broadband Availability

The map below visualizes broadband availability in Greenfield based on the merged survey and RFI data. Red dots are unserved, green dots are served. Greenfield also has multiple "eligible areas" for FCC RDOF funding (funding for unserved areas).

How Much Bandwidth Do I Really Need?

This Bandwidth Calculator is simple to use tool that will help you determine how much bandwidth your household needs. Brace yourself!

Monadnock Broadband Group

The Monadnock Broadband Group is an informal coalition of municipal officials, practitioners and other stakeholders with interest in understanding and coordinating with each other regarding broadband issues in Southwest NH.

There is a wealth of information on their website about what other area towns are doing to improve their broadband. For local historians, there is even a copy of the 2014 Greenfield broadband survey.

http://www.swrpc.org/broadbandgroup