The broadband rollout in Peterborough will not require an up-front payment from the town, Town Administrator Nicole MacStay confirmed Tuesday.
Consolidated Communications initially proposed an agreement in which the town would provide $262,000 to support the work of connecting costumers, and be reimbursed over time through fees.
This portion of the plan has changed, as Consolidated expects Peterborough to qualify for broadband grants that would reduce or eliminate the cost. MacStay said that additionally, waiting for those grants to come in might slow down the work that is currently ahead of schedule, so Consolidated will be moving forward with the work without Peterborough’s financial participation.
Currently, the project is about 12-18 months ahead of schedule, and MacStay said that the town’s liaison with Consolidated estimated that they may be able to start connecting customers as soon as December. Trucks and crews have been in town this week stringing up fiber cable.