The information contained in this article is not intended as legal advice and may no longer be accurate due to changes in the law. Consult NHMA's legal services or your municipal attorney.
The New Hampshire Broadband Mapping Initiative (NHBMI) is working to identify where internet access is available, how it can become more widely available, and how to encourage higher levels of broadband adoption and usage in New Hampshire. Now in its fourth year, the NHBMI is a collaboration between the NH Department of Business and Economic Affairs (BEA) and NH GRANIT at the University of New Hampshire’s Earth Systems Research Center. The Initiative has solicited regular data collections from participating internet service providers and the Federal Communications Commission as well as crowd-sourced internet service and speed data from NH residents in order to develop high-quality maps of broadband internet access for New Hampshire. The public can access the NHBMI’s findings through https://nhbroadbandmapping.unh.edu.
There are four aspects of the NHBMI website which may be of interest to municipalities and the public. First is the interactive, statewide Broadband Dashboard and Web Map. The public can use this map to look up statistics for their municipality and service status for individual addresses. In addition, town-based maps are available for participating towns through the Municipal Broadband Availability Maps page. These maps are updated approximately four times a year.
The public is encouraged to contribute to this project through the NH Broadband Speed Test Site and the Connectivity Survey, both of which are anonymous. Anyone can run the speed test using their home internet connection to learn their upload and download speeds. The Connectivity Survey is a quick way to report a location with slow or no connectivity. Both of these tools help to improve the accuracy of the statewide broadband maps and to identify areas for potential improvements in broadband infrastructure. The NHBMI encourages municipalities to publicize these tools in your communities.
BEA and NH GRANIT appreciate your investment of time and attention into this important effort as we work to support stronger New Hampshire communities. For more information, email granit@unh.edu or visit https://nhbroadbandmapping.unh.edu.