Southern New Hampshire Planning Commission Looking for Volunteers

As part of its involvement with the New Hampshire Broadband Mapping and Planning Program (NHBMPP), the Southern New Hampshire Planning Commission (SNHPC) is participating in a statewide multi-year broadband planning initiative.

The NHBMPP, a joint project of the state's nine Regional Planning Commissions (RPCs) and the University of New Hampshire, is intended to facilitate access to broadband through improved data collection and planning.

To accomplish the task, the SNHPC is forming the Southern New Hampshire Broadband Stakeholders Group to conduct activities including promoting collaboration with service providers to facilitate deployment and use, identification and mitigation of barriers to broadband services, and facilitating information sharing between public and private sectors regarding use and demand for broadband services.

Due to the economic development focus of the project, the SNHPC is asking each regional municipality, including Bedford, to appoint two members to the broadband stakeholders group.

Qualifications for volunteers, who can be from the public or private sector, include communication skills and/or broad interests in broadband and the Internet.

Appointments are due by the end of December, and the first meeting will take place in January. There will be two or three meetings a year over the next several years. The ultimate goal is to determine and prioritize the need for broadband services and identify and propose solutions to barriers for broadband deployment in the region.

Those interested in volunteering should contact Doug Pearson by email at dpearson@nsscorp.com or by telephone at 603-296-2909 or 603-566-2314.