FairPoint expands broadband to eastern Merrimack neighborhood

MERRIMACK – FairPoint Communications is continuing to roll out its broadband service, DSL, to streets in Merrimack that weren’t upgraded previously. The company said Wednesday that higher speeds are now available on portions of streets in town between Route 3 and the Merrimack River, including Bernard’s, Chocorua, Crosswood’s Path, Daniel Webster, Galloway, Kearsarge, Kinsman, Maple Ridge, Middlesex, Monadnock and Scituate. Last month, it upgraded service on a half-dozen roads in central Merrimack. The company adds a piece of equipment called a DSLAM to a remote terminal, which connects the neighborhood to the phone network, allowing download speeds of at least 3 Mbps. Since April 2008, FairPoint says it has invested more than $190 million in its infrastructure and technology to bring broadband to northern New England, including building thousands of miles of new fiber across the region. This expansion is part of FairPoint’s plan to increase broadband access to 95 percent of its service areas in New Hampshire. Such expansion was mandated by the state when it allowed FairPoint to buy Verizon’s landlines four years ago, and it’s vital to the company’s future, since the business of traditional voice calls continues to decline, and Internet service is increasingly important to phone companies. – DAVID BROOKS