Broadband Public Hearing -2
Town of Greenfield
7 Sawmill Road, Greenfield, NH 03047
Selectboard’s Minutes
Thursday, March 18, 2021 – 6:30 PM
Selectboard: Chairman Robert Marshall, Selectman Michael Borden, Selectman Mason Parker
Staff: Aaron Patt, Town Administrator
Public: [See Zoom Attendee list for public hearing participants]
6:30 PM: Broadband Public Hearing via Zoom
At 6:30pm, Chairman Marshall opened the Public Hearing and provided an overview of the Emergency Order that provides the Selectboard the ability to host the virtual meeting. He then provided welcoming remarks to the people attending the hearing. At the conclusion of the remarks, the Chair stated that Mr. Bascom would provide a walk-through of the Broadband Public Hearing Powerpoint after which there would be time for questions. Following the public hearing the Selectboard will resume their Selectboard business meeting on the conference call platform as posted in town and on the website.
At 6:34pm, Tom Bascom provided an overview of the Broadband project with the help of a Powerpoint slideshow. Mr. Bascom provided an overview of the ‘Chesterfield model’ for broadband fiber optic installation throughout the town. Next he touched on the survey results for the town. A slide explaining the RSA that governs the ability of municipalities to bond for Broadband infrastructure was provided. Mr. Bascom outlined the primary points of the RSA for those people on an audio-only connection by telephone. Next, Mr. Bascom provided a slide of the components of the proposed bond for Greenfield. He narrated the slide, outlining the costs for each component, including the total cost, the amount of investment by Consolidated Communication and the net cost of the bond to Greenfield. The explanation continued with a general overview of the bond’s structure, including subscriber fees, potential costs for the service, how the bond is paid, and the ownership of the network at the conclusion of the bond (20 year period). On the last slide, the warrant article that will be brought to Town Meeting was read aloud.
To see if the Town will vote raise and appropriate the sum of One Million, Three Hundred Fifty-Six Thousand, Two Hundred Ninety-Seven Dollars ($1,356,297) for the purpose of furnishing, constructing, and installing facilities and equipment to make a Fiber Optic Broadband Network available in the town of Greenfield , with Nine Hundred Eighty-Seven Thousand and Twelve Dollars ($987,012) of such sum to be raised through the issuance of bonds or notes under and in accordance with the provisions of the Municipal Finance Act (RSA 33) and Three Hundred Sixty-Nine Thousand Two Hundred Eighty-Five Dollars ($369,285) of such sum as a donation from the broadband provider; furthermore, to authorize the Board of Selectmen to apply for, obtain, and accept federal, state, or other aid, gifts, and donations, if any, which may be available for said project and to comply with all laws applicable to said project; to authorize the Board of Selectmen to issue, negotiate, sell, and deliver such bonds or notes to determine the rate of interest thereon, and the maturity and other terms thereof; and furthermore to authorize the Board of Selectmen to take any other action or to pass any other vote relative thereto. The Board of Selectmen recommends this appropriation. 3/5 ballot vote required.
Mr. Bascom noted that this warrant would be voted on at Town Meeting, which has been scheduled for May 1st at Oak Park, starting at 9AM.
At 6:45pm, the slideshow presentation wrapped up. The Chair opened the hearing to questions from the public.
Stephanie B., a current subscriber to Consolidated Communications Inc. (CCI) DSL service, asked if the Broadband deployment would improve their connection? Mr. Bascom explained some of the differences in a copper network versus the fiber network and concluded that the bandwidth availability and reliability could be substantially improved with the Broadband deployment.
Stephanie B. asked a follow-up question. Why did the town choose CCI and not ComCast? Mr. Bascom explained that while ComCast provided a proposal, the proposal was a hybrid network that was partly fiber and partly coaxial cable, the cost was significantly higher, and the timeline for delivery was substantially longer.
Nancy Wheeler asked who maintains the Network. Mr. Bascom explained that CCI will maintain the network for the life of the bond. At the conclusion of the bond, the town has the opportunity to contract with CCI for another period, or, go out to bid for another company to maintain and service the network.
Jonathan Loeb stated that he has bonded DSL and is satisfied with the service that he receives. He asked if residents would have to give up their current service when the Broadband deployment happens. Mr. Bascom stated that residents can keep their current service.
Jack Moran asked several questions about the contract with CCI, some of which were asked at the first public hearing but were tabled for further research. The first question was to clarify the ownership at the end of the installation. Mr. Bascom explained that since the first contract in the State was executed, this has been clarified. The town will own the network, which is what allows for the town to bond for the project.
Mr. Moran asked if there will be an escalator clause on charges to the end user to ensure that there is a limit to the price increases that CCI can charge the end customer. Mr. Bascom stated that this language is not in the current contract; monthly charges are regional in nature and not based on a specific town.
Mr. Bascom provided an overview of a recent Southwest Regional Planning Commission (SWRPC) meeting in which SWRPC was attempting to bring together into a unified platform, the towns that are independently negotiating with CCI, or other contractor(s), for Broadband. This will help provide a platform that the individual towns can rely on to ensure that common issues are addressed the same state-wide. He provided a few examples, such as language that covers network inventory, language that clarifies universal service, language that deals with frontage and easements, maintenance responsibilities and schedules, as well as price increases.
Mr. Moran asked about the language of the Warrant Article (on the last slide). It was explained for the benefit of the attendees that in the first public hearing the language was provided by the Dept. of Revenue (NHDRA) portal and subsequently approved by Town Counsel, but, after the discussion the Warrant Article language was revised based on the input of Bond Counsel. [Mr. Moran had asked a question about the language of the initial draft warrant article, and the language of the draft article was discussed in detail especially with respect to gross budgeting. During the original hearing, Mr. Bascom provided a copy of the language that the Town of Walpole used as an example the Town of Greenfield might want to consider]. Town Administrator Patt explained that after the first hearing the language was sent to Bond Counsel for review. The last slide of the slideshow now shows the updated (final) language and this language cures the concern that Mr. Moran raised in the first meeting. Mr. Moran agreed that the language was much better.
David ‘Rags’ Gilmore asked about the technology and delivery to the individual residents. Some residents have underground access. Mr. Bascom and Mr. Gilmore discussed the possibility that some residents with buried cable would not have conduit because that was a standard that came later. Some residents may be served by telephone access that is consists of cables buried in the ground to reach the home. Mr. Gilmore stated that he would have to do some research as his home is quite old and he is unsure how long the driveway is and whether there is conduit to the home. A brief description of the language in the contract regarding “drops” and lengths of “drops” was provided by the Town Administrator and Mr. Bascom.
At 7:10pm, the Chair asked if there were any further questions regarding the Broadband project, installation, or the bond. There being no response, the Chair stated that he would now close the public hearing. He thanked the participants and residents for attending. There were a total of 16 people in total that attended the hearing via Zoom.