Atate of Note Hampatjire ee 45; OFFICE OF THE GOVERNOR | 107 North Main Strect, State House - Rm 208 ae Concord, New Hampshire 03301 “SE Telephone (603) 271-2121 ‘werwh gov/governor SOHN H. LYNCH governorlynch@ahigov October 13, 2009 ‘The Honorable Lawrence E. Striokling Assistant Secretary for Communications and Information USS. Department of Commerce 1401 Constitution Ave., NW Washington, D.C. 20230 Re: State Review of NTIA Applications Dear Assistant Secretary Strickling: ‘The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) has requested that the New Hampshire Governor's Office review and comment on applications for the Broadband Technology Opportunities Program (BTOP) and the Broadband Initiative Program (BIP). I appreciate this opportunity to comment, ‘We understand that this review will be one factor in NTIA's decision process on final awards. To ensure a wide range of perspectives and knowledge, we assembled a team of representatives from New Hampshire's Department of Resources and Economic Development, the Public Utilities Commission, the Office of the Consumer Advocate, the New Hampshire Telecommunications Advisory Board, the Department of Justice, Department of Information Technology and the Governor's Office to conduct the review of the New Hampshire applications, The group assessed the information provided to the State and assisted in preparing this response. Consistent with NTIA’s request, the review did not include a financial or operational analysis of the proposals. This group reviewed projects with a focus on: + Identifying unserved and underserved areas within the State * Considering which proposals would expand broadband access to the greatest number of New Hampshire citizens, Throughout the review process, the group was guided by the State’s broadband mission statement: To expand the availability of affordable broadband Internet access for all the people, businesses, and community organizations of New Hampshire; and to promote the use of broadband to improve the quality and availability of health care, education, and government services. In support of these goals, NH partners will serve as a catalyst to work collaboratively with partners to develop an ongoing census of the broadband network infrastructure and related services in the State; 10 bring public and private resources to Bear in expanding these facilities to unserved and underserved areas; and to foster statewide collaborative efforts that share ideas, experiences, and resources to develop new ways of harnessing the Internet for the public good.‘The Honorable Lawrence E. Strickling October 13, 2009 Page 2 Sixty-seven applications were identified in the NTIA database that proposed some degree of activity related to New Hampshire. Given the large number of applications, the information provided by NTIA, and the need for timely review, the team established a review process. First, the team reviewed the summaries provided by the NTIA. Proposals were then grouped based upon program type (e-g., infrastructure, SBA, Public ‘Computer Access), and applicants of interest were provided with the opportunity to submit additional information and a complete application. Attached to my letter is New Hampshire’s formal recommendation to the NTIA. It includes a description of the five complementary proposals that taken together would best ensure comprehensive broadband deployment across New Hampshire. In addition, we have included information detailing other Infrastructure, Sustainable Broadband Adoption and Public Computer Center projects that we recommend NTIA also consider. ‘Thank you for providing the State of New Hampshire the opportunity to comment upon the exciting collection of broadband proposals. We stand ready to assist with the process, and implementation of the projects to which we have committed, Please do not hesitate to contact my office if we can provide additional information. Attachments: ‘* Attachment A: New Hampshire Review Team Recommendation * Attachment B: Broadband Availability Map © Attachment C: Comprehensive Proposal Coverage * Attachment D: Additional Worthy Infrastructure ProjectsAttachment New Hampshire Review Team Recommendation ‘Comprehensive State Broadband Proposal For several years the State has been assessing its broadband needs and has developed a strategy to address these needs through the Telecommunications Advisory Board. The Southwest and Northern (commonly referred to as the North Country) areas of the State are the most in need of broadband deployment, as significant portions of these areas have no broadband service, as displayed in Attachment B. The University of New Hampshire’s Infrastructure to Broaden Economic Advancement and Mindshare in New Hampshire (BEAM NB) proposal (ID#622), and the projects linked to it, represent comprehensive plan to expand broadband to most of the unserved areas in the State. This proposal will improve public safety, create an ‘exciting education network for next generation Internet services and national research networks, connect many anchor institutions and provide middle mile capacity for use by competitive providers. The I-BEAM. NH proposal forms collaborations between public and private partners and encompasses many of the goals identified in the State’s broadband mission statement. In addition to ensuring most New Hampshire citizens will at last have access to broadband service, the I- BEAM NH proposal consolidates microwave antennas among several public safety agencies, freeing space on the towers for future wireless access points intended to serve end-users in rural areas. Importantly, I- BEAM NH also dovetails with the New Hampshire State Library's Public Computer Center application to establish mobile computer labs, as well as FairPoint’s Sustainable Broadband Adoption proposal to educate citizens in rural areas on the value of broadband service. Finally, the LBEAM NH proposal contains funding for a State Telecommunications Director position, which will coordinate and oversee the State’s efforts to advance its broadband objectives. This position, which was created legislatively and through the work of the State Telecommunications Advisory Board, is currently funded for nine months through the State’s discretionary American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) funds. ‘The importance of this position to any New Hampshire-based proposal cannot be overstated as this person will serve as the State source for broadband policy and technical advice to providers, stakeholders and the public, and will be charged with ensuring that all broadband recovery projects are completed as agreed and on-schedule. The I-BEAM NH proposal and linked applications are: University of NH -BEAM NH ~(ID#622) NCIC-BIP (1D#2873) FairPoint Communications -BTOP (2 applications #1D#1735 &1736) State of NH Library ~Public Computer Center (ID#2771) FairPoint Communications -SBA (ID#1734) ‘The North Country and Southwest regions of New Hampshire are prime examples of rural, underserved, and unserved regions, and most of the North Country qualifies as remote. The information on the broadband USA website has substantial inconsistencies regarding the coverage of the BEAM NH and linked projects. ‘The review teams used the specific census blocks contained in the Fairpoint and NCIC applications as submitted and verified that there is no overlap proposed. A map of the coverage of the comprehensive proposal is provided as Attachment C. FairPoint's recent filings with the Sccurities and Exchange Commission indicate that itis in the process of restructuring its debt, and may seek to reorganize under Chapter 11 of the Bankruptcy Code in the near future. FairPoint remains committed to and must play a role in providing much-needed broadband service in the North Country, and company officials have reiterated to the review team that Fairpoint is prepared to maintain this commitment in any financial reorganization that occurs. Fairpoint’s proposal complements the proposals developed by state organizations and NCIC, and the involvement of the company, which is thelargest regulated telephone company in Northem New England, is important in expanding broadband service into unserved communities. We believe these five projects offer the best opportunity to expand broadband availability to the largest number of New Hampshire citizens. However, there are also several other projects that would provide broadband coverage to unserved and underserved areas that we believe are worthy of NTIA’s consideration if funding is available. We have grouped them by project type: infrastructure, sustainable broadband adoption, and public computers Infrastructure Projects ‘There are several infrastructure applications that will advance the broadband goals of the State, pro coverage to additional areas, and address the needs of end-users in unserved or underserved areas. Attachment D shows the areas that are covered by these projects. * Argent Communications, LLC (ID#4047) © Bretton Woods Telephone Company (ID#2471) © CityVoice Communications (ID#3222) Please note that this vendor is also included in the comprehensive application submitted by the University of NH. © Vanu Coverage (ID#3114) Sustainable Broadband Adoption Projects The following projects promote broadband demand and affordability and address education, awareness, and telehealth for vulnerable populations. © Amett Development-ID (#2389); This application is a consortium that connects low-income and unserved at-risk patients with the Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center. This project adds a favorable telehealth component in underserved areas. ‘* City of Manchester (ID#2051): This project establishes public WiFi access points throughout the city, and targets schools, commercial and low-income areas, This is important for economic development in NH’ largest and most diverse city. + Aztronies (ID#2341): This New Hampshire based company seeks to develop an online marketplace for entrepreneurs. We believe this project may have a positive economic impact, and offer tools that businesses can access to increase their national and global presence. Public Computer Centers Projects In addition to the aforementioned NH State Library Public Computer Centers proposal, there are four ‘excellent proposals designed to increase public computer and broadband access. These municipal proposals ‘meet the intent of the grant, and will provide needed broadband access to at-risk youth, low-income residents, and seniors ¢ ns: * City of Manchester (ID#s 1497,1207, and 794) © City of Nashua (ID#2541)