Sometimes when we discuss the need for broadband in remote or rural areas, it's easy to forget just how much work it takes and how many hours are necessary to complete a fiber build-out. As a case in point, consider New Hampshire, where this winter residents will see more than just snow along the road. There, crews are working demanding hours for Network New Hampshire Now (NNHN), hanging fiber from already-existing telephone poles. Last week, Seacoast Online reported that the BTOP-funded, 750-mile fiber network was “moving into the next phase,” thanks to diligent work and considerable man-hours. But the project is taking time, thanks to a complicated build-out process that involves “stringing cables from pole to pole to pole—over 750 miles in cities, suburban streets and back woods—a lot of hours spent in 'bucket trucks' doing the physical work, but just as many [crew members] figuring out how the cables can fit on the poles, which are owned either by the electric company or telephone company.”

As a public-private consortium, NNHN oversees the $65m project, with $44.5m in grants from the federal stimulus package and $21m in matching funding from other sources. It's an ambitious and far-reaching broadband initiative that, according to NNHN, will “ensure that residents of ten counties in New Hampshire will be able to plug into a powerful future with internet connectivity.”

There are three main components of the network: the middle-mile fiber backbone, last-mile fiber-to-the-premises (FTTP), and a closed middle-mile public safety microwave network.

The middle-mile network will stretch all across the Granite State—from the Seacoast, across the more populated southwest, up to the northwest, and all the way to the remote North Country and mountainous Lakes Region. NNHN says it will “place network access points in or near existing central telephone office locations along the path, allowing all commercial broadband providers to potentially leverage the fiber optic network build across the state regardless of protocol, service or technology.” This portion of the broadband network is being overseen by University of New Hampshire Information Technology—a leader in the initiative.

A variety of partners are coming together to provide last-mile connectivity through what NNHN is deeming an “innovative model called FastRoads,” which will provide fiber-optic connectivity in 35 communities in the southwest part of the state. According to NNHN, these 35 communities translate into 1,300 homes and businesses.

Finally, a closed middle-mile microwave network called NHSafeNet will be made available for public safety, public television, transportation and mobile broadband communications on mountaintops across New Hampshire covering 3,800 square miles.

As with any statewide broadband initiative, the list of partnerships for NNHN is quite long. Last April, Chelmsford, Massachusetts-based Waveguide announced that it would “provide engineering and construction services,” along with New Hampshire Optical Systems, based in Nashua. Additionally, Green Mountain Communications is constructing NHSafeNet, along with other state organizations and departments.

But, despite good planning and an impressive assembly of partners, the issue of actual, physical work remains. And it takes time.

Waveguide president Rob Carmichael described the process of preparing for and hanging fiber to Seacoast Online last week: "We have a right to the space, but the space has to be made available. First we do a survey, walk the pole line with both utilities. We look at the pole, take measurements, engineers in the field decide on this one, power can move up, phone can move down, cable TV can be rearranged, whatever is needed, then you'll have space," he said. "There are no unique issues, other than the timelines. Building 750 miles in this time period is fast.” Completion date for the network is slated for June 30, 2013.

Of course, in addition to deadlines and man-hours in the cold, the network has also faced criticism from existing providers in the area. FairPoint Communications has already built a similar fiber backbone in the area, which it uses to provide its DSL service. In more populated areas like Nashua, in the southern part of the state, FairPoint's FAST provides fiber-to-the-home for residents. But in many “overlooked” regions of the mountainous state, there is no fiber connectivity.

With an impressive scale, NNHN's 750 miles of fiber is just one of many New England fiber builds, as Vermont, Massachusetts, and Maine are all stringing fiber to underserved areas of their states. In Maine alone, 1,100 miles of fiber will crisscross the state, connecting businesses and residents who cannot currently get high-speed service.

But just like in New Hampshire, these networks, too, will be completed in difficult terrain, in a variety of weather—one measurement, one survey, and one cable line rearrangement at a time. No faster.

When Chuck Crabtree joined Palmetto Rural Telephone Cooperative as its Director of Marketing this year, he was attracted to the co-op's commitment to broadband and advanced services like IPTV. Right now he says PRTC is making great progress towards an extensive fiber build-out that will cover most of Colleton County, South Carolina. And PRTC has been able to fund this upgrade to FTTH “without any big grants. We're mostly doing it ourselves, utilizing business loans,” Crabtree said. With many ILECs and cooperatives counting on broadband, PRTC's story may not seem like a unique one—but the provider's embrace of services like IPTV and advanced video platforms, is. According to Crabtree, PRTC is fighting “formidable competitors” like Comcast and Frontier by offering richer, dependable services through fiber. In underserved areas of the county, PRTC is the first to lay fiber and, in doing so, hopes to better serve its entire territory.

Crabtree characterized PRTC's service area as a combination of Low Country rural lands and small- to mid-sized towns. “Currently we've completed roughly 15% of our fiber build-out, but the overall fiber-to-the-home plan will take longer,” he said. “It's a lot of work. They don't call us the Low Country for nothing— we have a lot of wetlands and it can be very swampy, but we're absolutely committed to getting fiber to every home, even the most remote areas.”

Of course, fiber builds can be tricky for smaller companies and co-ops, with cost often exceeding return on investment. But Crabtree says that PRTC has taken great measures not to just provide broadband services, but to do so with media platforms that rival those from large competitors. Earlier this year, PRTC announced it was transitioning its IPTV-based video services to Alcatel-Lucent's starter pack end-to-end solution, which included the Microsoft Mediaroom 2.0 software platform. Mediaroom, created specifically for Tier 1 service providers, “helped get rid of some traditional IPTV problems, but also opens up new opportunities,” Crabtree said. “Some telcos deploy IPTV and then really aren't thrilled with what they're able to provide. But for us, Mediaroom was really a great choice for the consumer. It really is a very slick, great interface,” he said, noting that the platform makes it possible to introduce VOD, whole-home DVR, caller ID over the TV, and even remote DVR services. Right now, the co-op's IPTV services are about 10% penetrated, but Crabtree says that Mediaroom should dramatically increase marketability and will allow PRTC to “ratchet up marketing for this particular service. We're already seeing great responses, and we believe it's going to be successful.”

But for PRTC, the fiber build-out is about much more than just IPTV services alone. It's about “future-proofing,” as Crabtree put it. “The more fiber you have, the more you can do with it. Fiber-to-the-home provides almost limitless bandwidth capacity, allowing our customers to share multi-media content, watch videos on any device, and so on.” In other words, PRTC is looking to provide the bells-and-whistles that the Big Guys provide, but they plan to bring it to even the most remote areas where subscribers live and do business.

In some areas, DirecTV and Dish Network provide stiff competition, Crabtree acknowledged, but when it comes to providing the whole package of services, PRTC still maintains an edge. In Colleton County, Comcast provides TV and Internet services, but no voice service, and Frontier offers voice and broadband in small pockets of coverage. “We keep hearing rumors of improvements coming down from the Charleston area [in regard to Comcast], but right now they have a pretty standard offering. Our TV service is much richer, according to what we offer, and of course we have a whole package of services we provide.”

Crabtree noted the importance of broadband in small communities and rural areas—something that he says is threatened by recent changes to USF funding. When asked about how the Connect America fund will impact cooperatives like PRTC, Crabtree said, “We stand with everyone at NTCA and the other ILECs who have voiced their opposition to these changes. We're working fast and furious to run fiber and offer as high a service level as possible, and the cutting of USF funds hurts our efforts to do that in the fashion we'd like. We're not happy about the changes in the way they're distributing funds.”

Despite these federal battles, like most cooperatives, PRTC is committed to improving its community, Crabtree said. “We are very involved in the area, and are especially excited about the advanced services that the Colleton County Medical Center is able to offer through our broadband connection.” He explained that, in the past, the facility had to rely on its sister hospital in Charleston for difficult diagnoses, advanced technologies, and specialist services. This often included transporting patients via helicopter or a one-and-a-half hour drive. But now, in seconds, doctors at CCMC can send data to physicians in Charleston and get a detailed diagnosis right away. Doctors at CCMC are also making use of iPads to collect patient information; hospital management will soon rely on “hot boards” to streamline providers and get physicians to the hospital when demand increases, and the hospital website will offer online updates on emergency room wait times. Crabtree said, “These are super patient-friendly services and, while they've had our [PRTC's] broadband for years, they're now really expanding the utilization of its functionality.”

In addition to medical services, Crabtree said that PRTC's broadband has been “a real game-changer” for Colleton County High School and Colleton Preparatory Academy. “We offer broadband connections to each school in a way that fits their needs very well... and we partner with the local schools all the time—to sponsor athletic departments and support recreational teams. We really try to have a local presence in a variety of ways,” Crabtree said, explaining that PRTC also provides telecommunications services to the police and fire departments and sponsors fundraisers for March of Dimes. “That personal connection is really important,” he said.

One of PRTC's smaller business divisions is its wireless service, which Crabtree said is branded PRTC Wireless but also accesses one of the largest networks in the country. PRTC has offered wireless for the last 2-3 years and hopes to more aggressively promote “a quad play in the future,” Crabtree said. “It's not an easy business to grow in, but we're doing it, slowly but surely.”

As for the regional area surrounding PRTC's base in Walterboro, South Carolina—the county seat of Colleton County—there is plenty of growth to go around. PRTC's service area sits outside the main competitive markets of the Charleston area, but the county enjoys growth from nearby economic expansion. Early this month a new aerospace company, Colleton Aerospace LLC, announced it would construct a $15m plant in the county, bringing 300 jobs to the area and hopefully spurring development in the Low Country. PRTC is already scheduled to be the telecommunications supplier to Colleton Aerospace, and Crabtree noted that this was just one of the ways that the area is continuing to see growth in jobs, residential expansion, and population increases. Recently Boeing opened a new facility in North Charleston and tire manufacturers Bridgestone, Continental, and Michelin have all made significant investments in the surrounding area. Likely this growth will spill into PRTC's service area, and Crabtree says the company has already been active in Charleston media markets. “We can't help but think our region's growth will help us, and we hope to enjoy some of its success.”