Mason begins to move on internet bonding process – Monadnock Ledger Transcript

Last year, the town of Chesterfield passed a bond to provide fiber to the home of its residents. The bond to pay for the project isn’t paid back through taxes, but by a capped rate fee paid by those who sign onto the service. Rindge and Dublin are both proposing a similar structure on their warrants this year.

In both cases, if voters approve in March, Rindge and Dublin’s bonds would be paid back through a user fee of no more than $9.50 per month. If not enough customers sign on to cover the bond payment, Consolidated Communications, which is the company both towns would contract with, would cover the remaining payment.

A similar proposal for Mason would likely have the backing of the Select Board, where other options haven’t, Moser said.

“There is a lot of interest in town in having expanded broadband,” Moser said. “In the past, the Board of Selectmen has been reluctant to propose a bond, but in this case, where the bond is paid by the ratepayers, that’s more attractive.”

It is too soon to say what a partnership will look like for Mason, as it will be based on a proposal from an individual internet provider, who may offer different terms than the contract selected in Rindge and Dublin.

Moser said it’s too early in the process to know whether Mason would pursue a bond next March, but said it’s at least a possibility.

By statute, the first step towards that bonding process is determining current internet speeds available in town, and whether they fall below the threshold of 25 megabits per second for downloads and three megabits per second for uploads. This is the stage the Mason Broadband Committee is currently in.

The committee is calling for Mason residents willing to participate in a speed mapping project. Those interested can email [email protected] or visit the Fiber2Mason Facebook page.