Broadband Public Hearing

Town of Greenfield

7 Sawmill Road, Greenfield, NH 03047

Public Hearing - Broadband

Wednesday, February 3, 2021 – 6:30 PM

Selectboard: Chairman Robert Marshall, Selectwoman Karen Day, Selectman Michael Borden

Staff: Aaron Patt, Town Administrator

Broadband Volunteers: Tom Bascom

Consolidated Communications: Jeff McIver, Michael Cannon, Tripp Legendre

Public:

• Diane Boilard
• Richard Spencer
• Jeff LaCourse
• Jack Moran

6:30 PM: Virtual Meeting Open – ZOOM Meeting 845 442 9808 653cuG

The meeting was called to order at 6:30pm. The Chair welcomed everyone to the virtual Broadband Public Hearing. He opened the meeting and read a statement provided by the Attorney General’s office regarding virtual meetings. “As Chair of the Selectboard, I find that due to the State of Emergency declared by the Governor as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and in accordance with the Governor’s Emergency Order #12 pursuant to Executive Order 2020-04, which has been extended, this public body is authorized to meet virtually.

Please note that there is no physical location to observe and listen contemporaneously to this meeting, which was authorized pursuant to the Governor’s Emergency Order. However, in accordance with the Emergency Order, I am confirming that we are providing public access to the meeting by telephone.  We are currently working on providing additional access possibilities by video or other electronic means, however, we are a small town and that is not feasible for tonight’s call.

We are utilizing Zoom for this electronic meeting. All members of the Board have the ability to communicate contemporaneously during this meeting through this platform, and the public has access to contemporaneously listen and, if necessary, participate in this meeting through dialing the access number posted online or by following the directions on the Meeting Instructions link from the Selectboard’s page on the website. The Website address is greenfield-nh.gov.

We previously gave notice to the public of the necessary information for accessing the meeting, including how to access the meeting telephonically. If there are problems with access, please email the Town Administrator and he will attempt to help you in real time. In the event the public is unable to access the meeting, the meeting will be adjourned and rescheduled.

Please note that all votes that are taken during this meeting shall be done by roll-call vote.

Let’s start the meeting by taking a roll-call attendance. When each member states their presence, please also state whether there is anyone in the room with you during this meeting, which is required under the Right-to-Know law.

Each selectperson noted that they were alone. The Selectboard members are each home and their spouses are in the house, the Town Administrator is in his office at home and is alone.

The Chair stated:  “If there isn’t time for your questions tonight, you can email the Town Administrator and request a response. If you have technical difficulties on your end with your computer, laptop, or other electronic device email the Town Administrator if you having trouble connecting in real-time and we’ll try to be of help.

6:30 PM: Public Hearing

Chairman Marshall welcomed participants to the Public Hearing.  He thanked Mr. Bascom and the volunteers for their hard work to bring everyone together. He stated that the purpose of the meeting is to hold a hearing on the question of bonding with Consolidated Communications for the purpose of installing Broadband in Greenfield. The Chair read the proposed Warrant Article from a slideshow that was shared with participants. He asked that Tom Bascom provide a brief overview from a Powerpoint. Mr. Bascom agreed but a question from a participant regarding the warrant article was raised.

Jack Moran stated a question. He said that the Warrant Article states that the installation will happen ‘town-wide’. He asked if this could create an issue in the future if a resident was not able to be served by the network. Town Administrator Patt explained that the Warrant Article is going before the voters to request permission for the Governing body to negotiate for a Broadband installation in the town. It was noted that Consolidated Communications intends to provide service to every household where there is an aerial or conduit (in-ground utility) at no charge, but if the location requires new poles then there would be a cost to the property owner. Administrator Patt stated that the warrant article was generated by the Department of Revenue portal and would be reviewed by Counsel for any changes in the language. The question about the ‘town-wide’ language would be noted and covered when the review occurs.

Mr. Bascom provided a walk-through of the slide show, which covers the gross cost and the net cost to Greenfield for the Broadband installation. The slideshow outlines the new law SB170 and explains the “Chesterfield Model”. Mr. Bascom explained that the total cost of $1,356,297 for the project includes a Consolidated Funded Customer Connection Cost of $369,285, and a bond amount for Greenfield of $987,012. The Bond costs and the Bond structure were explained. Mr. Bascom sent an example of the Warrant Article used by Walpole to the Town Administrator, Treasurer and Selectboard in which the cost is gross budgeted and the installation of the network is outlined. Mr. Bascom stated that the warrant article may be a resource for language on the installation as it provides detail but also some flexibility. The presentation concluded and the Chair opened the hearing to questions from the public.

Mr. Moran asked if there would be an option for Greenfield to buy-out the network at the end of the twenty year period.

Mr. McIver from CCI answered that the network will be owned by the town and there will be an option for an RFP to see if another company wants to run the network at the end of the bond period. CCI will look at whether it makes sense to continue to run the network, in which case they could answer the RFP.

Chairman Marshall asked if there were any further questions from the public.

Diane Boilard asked if the contract stipulates the monthly charges to the end customer.

Mr. McIver stated that pricing is not part of the contract.

Mr. Legendre of CCI stated that the pricing will depend on and be the same as the prevailing rates in New England at the time of the install. He stated that he foresees three tiers that will break out bandwidth in Small, Medium, and Large allocations based on the usage typical to homes.

A discussion followed on the billing that Ms. Boilard receives relative to taxes on her bill. Mr. Legendre stated that he is the person who has designed the programs and is the person that set the rates. He offered to take the conversation off-line with Ms. Boilard and review her bill. He stated that taxes are usually associated with the telephone (voice) service. A discussion on bundled services and taxes was held and Mr. Legendre explained several charges relative to the telephone service. He noted that the service that Ms. Boilard has installed is a service that was provided by Fairpoint before the network was bought by Consolidated Communications.

At the conclusion of the discussion, Ms. Boilard stated that her questions had been answered.

At 7:12pm, Chairman Marshall asked if there were any other questions. Seeing none, he closed the hearing and thanked the CCI representatives for their time and for answering the questions of the public. The Chair asked the Selectboard members for a motion to adjourn. Selectwoman Day made a motion to adjourn the meeting. The motion was seconded by Selectman Borden. On a roll call vote, the Board voted 3-0 in favor of adjourning as follows:  Karen Day – Aye, Michael Borden- Aye, Chairman Marshall – Aye.

There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned.