Results of 2018 Westmoreland Broadband Internet Survey

Prepared for the Board of Selectmen

By the Westmoreland Broadband Advisory Committee

September 20, 2018

John Snowdon

Chris Ballou

JJ Prior

SCOPE

Why we did a survey:

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• Discontent with internet expressed extensively on Facebook
• Anecdotal evidence of internet problems through public discourse
• “Checkup” on progress of goals in 2016 Master Plan

Goal 2: Encourage local employment.

2. Encourage increased availability and quality of broadband infrastructure critical to modern business.

Goal 6: Provide communication avenues between the town government, residents and property owners.

4. Encourage increased availability and quality of broadband infrastructure for residential access.

2016 Westmoreland Town Master Plan

Survey Response

• 224 online responses
• 12 paper responses
• Nearly ⅓ of households represented (734 mailboxes)
• Roughly 1 of 5 responded as “both a resident and a business”

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Status Quo

Town residents and businesses are served largely by DSL provider Consolidated Communications (88%) or cable tv provider Argent Communications (5%). Others utilize satellite internet or various 4G cellular providers.

DSL service over copper phone lines is limited by distance from a “central office” switch box, which are distributed throughout town.

Cable internet connections are shared bandwidth, resulting in decreased speed with more data consumption within a neighborhood.

FCC defines broadband as...

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As of 2017, the FCC estimates nationwide 59% of home wireline connections meet or exceed this benchmark.

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25 Megabits per second (Mbps) download speed or greater

3 Mbps upload or greater

91.2%

of survey respondents do not meet the FCC-designated download speed to be considered broadband

In Westmoreland,

Broadband

Below Threshold

Survey Analysis

% of respondents

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90.52%

5.69%

2.84%

1.42%

80% of respondents have some level of dissatisfaction with current internet service

“How satisfied are you with this provider in terms of cost, performance, and reliability of service?”

Speed

Reliability

Cost

Data

Quota

Customer Service

N/A

“If unsatisfied, why?”

Comments

• I would love to have a faster, more economical choice for internet service.
• We would love the ability to have high speed internet and it would be most helpful.
• Very happy with Argent.
• We lose service briefly on a daily basis.
• We seem to pay more than others in our town.
• Please encourage ISPs to wire the town for fiber!!!
• Increase speed services ONLY if taxes do not go up
• The speed test results are inconsistent. Sometimes downloads are less than 1.0

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Comments

• We don't have access to Cable TV either. Forced to use Satellite
• Please someone come up with a better idea. Consolidated is far worse than Fairpoint
• We need better service maybe fiber
• We need faster internet as well as wireless. I believe this would benefit school children and attract more businesses and people to the area.
• Please please please help improve internet in Westmoreland. It is very frustrating paying for internet every month that delivers less than 10% of what is promised.
• In today’s world it is very important to daily life that everyone should have affordable access to the internet.
• In this day and age fast reliable internet is a requirement for a town to prosper and move forward into the future. Many people telecommute from home, or do business on the internet.

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Comments

• For us it is more about stability and reliability than speed. Higher speed would result in better video quality and less buffering. Also upload speed was left blank because we only get about 0.3 making use of internet of things impossible.
• The sooner broadband/high speed is available the better.
• My husband and I both work from home. The amount of times internet drops for a minute it takes forever logging back into all the different systems we need to use on a daily basis. And upgrade to service would be fantastic
• Maybe we can leverage the recent buyout of Fairpoint by Consolidated, or, push Argent to expand their faster (relative term) service into more areas of Westmoreland. Thank you for taking on this project!

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Comments

• We are very satisfied with our service. We have given up our satellite dish and have 4 Roku devices in the house. We stream every night and use our laptops and phones through wifi and have NO delays in our streaming. The service we pay for is 15mbs and we feel it is reasonably priced and EXCELLENT service
• We need better coverage with a variety of competitors to choose from, otherwise we are at the mercy of the minimal players in town.
• Please please please can we get better, faster, and more reliable internet?! My job is remote almost 80% of the time and the internet is always going in and out and not fast enough for me to work. I may have to move to Keene or another area if we don't get faster internet! Thanks for doing the survey!

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Next Steps

Moving forward towards a connected Westmoreland

Options for next step

• Wait for state or federal funding
• Wait for surrounding towns
• Commission engineering survey
• RFPs from existing providers
• “Chesterfield model”
• Do nothing

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Wait for state or federal funding

Pros:

• Less expensive for town
• USDA and various agencies are prioritizing rural broadband

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Cons:

• Unknown timing
• Requires Congressional approval
• Will Westmoreland be considered

Wait for surrounding towns

Pros:

• Share plan
• Potential cost savings
• Harrisville, Dublin and Chesterfield have completed surveys and studies

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Cons:

• Everyone else is waiting
• Plans may not fit Westmoreland

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Commission engineering study

Pros:

• Exact map of service area needs and implementation
• Provides an exact plan for Westmoreland
• “Shovel ready” projects will be able to take advantage of initial funding sources

Cons:

• Cost of study shouldered by town; comparable projects ~ $15k
• Probably requires voter consent delaying progress

Request proposals from existing providers

Pros:

• Companies provide engineering study to their own specs.
• Little or no cost to town

Cons:

• No guarantee of response

Existing providers include:

• Argent Communications (Cable)
• Consolidated Communications (DSL)
• WiValley (Wireless ISP)

“Chesterfield model”

Pros:

• Voters decide at town meeting
• “Shovel-ready” if funding hits
• SB-170 allows bonding
• Chesterfield has shared its plan with us
• Cost savings?
• Real estate valuation varies with internet availability

Cons:

• Decision based on voter turnout
• Towns may have different needs, i.e. geographic limitations

Legend

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Green: 25 Mbps or greater

Light green: 10 Mbps or greater

Red: Less than 10 Mbps

Blue: 30 Mbps

Orange: 30 Mbps might be possible

Black: Proposed Poles

Probable Benefits/Concerns of Upgraded Service

Benefits:

• Fulfills Town Master Plan
• Expands economic development of home and Rt 12 businesses (increase tax base)
• Increases or maintains property values
• Voter satisfaction

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Concerns:

• Choosing a system that is future compatible
• Possible tax increase
• Doing nothing reduces the desire to live in Westmoreland

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In Summary

In Summary:

Committee will:

• 92% of town is underserved for broadband access
• Low level of satisfaction with existing providers
• Problem exists across all SWNH communities
• Options and models are starting to develop for surrounding communities

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• Continue research on options and educate public
• Hold public informational meeting to share survey results
• Reach recommendation for town action

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General Sentiment from Survey:

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• “In this day and age, fast reliable internet is a requirement for a town to prosper and move forward into the future. Many people telecommute from home, or do business on the internet.”

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Questions?