CASE STUDY: Rhode Island’s First Municipally Owned Network
Insights > Case Study Rhode Island’s FirstMunicipally Owned Network When the Town of New Shoreham set out to deliver reliable, high-speed internet to every household and business on Block Island, they turned to ProInfoNet’s broadband consulting arm, Mission Broadband. Together, we designed and implemented a comprehensive Fiber-to-the-Premise (FTTP) network, supported by a high-speed fiber optic backbone that now spans the entire island. Learn More ABOUT THE CUSTOMER The Town of New Shoreham, located on Block Island, Rhode Island, is the smallest municipality in the state by population but home to one of its most ambitious infrastructure projects. In 2016, town leaders began working to improve digital access for community anchor institutions. Their vision and leadership ultimately led to the creation of BroadbandBI, Rhode Island’s first municipally owned fiber-to-the-home network, which now connects more than 1,800 properties to the highest internet speeds available in the state. REGION Block Island, RI COMPANY SIZE Small Municipality INDUSTRY Public Sector Broadband KEY SERVICES Broadband Consulting Network Infrastructure Project Management KEY TEAM MEMBERS Jim Rogers Jason Gay In a nutshell 1 The Challenge It started with a healthcare clinic on Block Island facing risk of closure. New federal EMR requirements exposed the island’s lack of reliable internet, and the clinic didn’t have the bandwidth to comply. ProInfoNet, through NETC, had already been supporting the clinic through the Healthcare Connect Fund and stepped in to help. The challenge was much bigger than one facility, though. Block Island’s community, New Shoreham, lacked the broadband infrastructure needed to support daily life—from business operations and healthcare access to education and emergency response. 2 The Solution After working with the clinic to secure reliable internet connectivity, ProInfoNet was asked to do the same for other anchor institutions. The Town of New Shoreham partnered with ProInfoNet’s broadband consulting team, Mission Broadband, to launch a pilot program that used undersea fiber from the Block Island Wind Farm to build a publicly owned privately managed network. 3 The Outcome The result was BroadbandBI, Rhode Island’s first municipally owned Fiber-to-the-Home network. Today, it connects all 1,800 properties on the island, delivering high-speed internet and VOIP phone services to residents, businesses, and public facilities. Background The Town of New Shoreham’s push to improve island connectivity began quietly—with a single healthcare clinic at risk of shutting down. For years, ProInfoNet, through the New England Telehealth Consortium (NETC), had supported the clinic through the Healthcare Connect Fund, helping it secure federal subsidies for basic internet service. But when a new federal mandate required the clinic to adopt electronic medical records (EMRs), its limited internet access posed a serious challenge. At the time, residents of Block Island had to load Netflix movies 24 hours in advance if they wanted to stream them; EMRs weren’t going to be able to run on those internet speeds. Worried they would have to close, the clinic approached ProInfoNet to see what could be done. Our team stepped in to negotiate a solution that would keep the clinic connected and open. Seeing the results, the Town of New Shoreham asked if we could do the same for the island’s other anchor institutions. That request led to a pilot program using undersea fiber from the Block Island Wind Farm to connect community anchor institutions like the school, library, and public safety complex. What began as a targeted effort to support a single healthcare site ultimately evolved into something much bigger: BroadbandBI, Rhode Island’s first municipally owned network, which now brings high-speed internet not just to anchor institutions but to every resident and business on the island. Reach Out to Learn More Challenges Solutions Lack of Reliable Infrastructure Before the project began, internet on Block Island was unreliable and, in many areas, virtually nonexistent. With download speeds of 3 Mbps or less, many residents relied on costly satellite plans, dial-up connections, or mobile hotspots—solutions that couldn’t keep up with the increasingly digital world. Geographic Isolation As an offshore community, the island faced unique barriers to broadband expansion. There were few ISPs to choose from, construction costs were higher, and the existing undersea link to the mainland had yet to be leveraged to support high-speed connections at scale. Connectivity for Critical Institutions From telehealth to education to running a business, the lack of broadband was limiting what life on the island could look like. As New Shoreham Finance Director Amy Lewis Land put it, “Not having reliable, fast residential and business service was a constraint on what people could do on the island and made it less viable as a year-round community.” Funding and Community Buy-In Delivering a network that could serve the entire island required substantial funding and community buy-in. Public trust, clear communications, and strong vendor partnerships would be critical moving forward. Solutions Results Laying the Groundwork When the Town of New Shoreham began exploring how to expand broadband access, they turned to ProInfoNet’s broadband consulting team, Mission Broadband, in early 2018. The team conducted feasibility studies, explored subsidy opportunities through federal programs, and presented network design and funding strategies to the FCC and USAC. This foundational work paved the way for a phased buildout, starting with key community anchor institutions and expanding to full island coverage. A Transparent, Phased Approach Public engagement remained a priority throughout the project. Surveys, public forums, and regular updates kept residents informed while helping shape the final design. The Town of New Shoreham selected Sertex Broadband to construct and operate the network, while Crocker Communications was chosen to provide internet and phone services. Mission Broadband served as the project manager and ongoing advisor, overseeing design, construction, and vendor coordination every step of the way. A Network Built to Last With 53 miles of fiber optic cable and 62 miles of underground drops, the BroadbandBI network was designed to be both reliable and scalable. The subsea fiber connection to the mainland offers high-speed, symmetrical internet access, with the capacity to support even faster speeds in the future. Our Multi-Phased Approach To guide the Town of New Shoreham from feasibility through
CASE STUDY: Building the NETC Network
Insights > Case Study Building the NETC Network When a regional healthcare nonprofit formed a coalition to close the broadband gap for rural hospitals across New England, they selected ProInfoNet—through a competitive RFP process—to build a resilient network to connect them. Learn More ABOUT THE CUSTOMER The New England Telehealth Consortium (NETC) is a regional healthcare consortium in northern New England dedicated to improving access to affordable and reliable telecommunications services for rural healthcare providers and communities. REGION New England COMPANY SIZE Small Non-Profit INDUSTRY Healthcare KEY SERVICES Healthcare Connectivity Network Infrastructure KEY TEAM MEMBERS Jim Rogers Trevor Gordon Chris Gelo Ron Barber In a nutshell 1 The Challenge In 2007, when NETC was founded, there was not adequate broadband internet infrastructure built out for key anchor institutions like rural hospitals across the U.S. 2 The Solution Led by Jim Rogers, NETC began as a coalition of 500 healthcare sites that partnered with ProInfoNet to create a high-speed, redundant network designed specifically for healthcare. 3 The Outcome Today, NETC connects over 1,400 healthcare sites via more than 2,500 circuits, delivering 2 Tbps of bandwidth. With 100% core uptime, 99.999% internet uptime, and 99.983% circuit uptime, NETC is now the largest purpose-built healthcare broadband network in the country. Challenges Solutions Widespread Gaps in Rural Broadband Infrastructure At the time of NETC’s founding, many rural hospitals and clinics across the U.S. lacked access to reliable broadband. These anchor institutions needed a dependable way to connect to the systems and tools that were becoming standard in urban settings. No Network Built for Healthcare While commercial broadband was available, none of the options were designed for the demands of healthcare. NETC needed a secure, unified network that could support real-time patient data exchange, system-wide telehealth, and HIPAA compliance. Limited Capacity to Build & Operate With the backing of a 500-site coalition, NETC had a strong vision, but building and managing a healthcare-grade network across six states required more resources than their internal team could support. They needed an experienced partner to help with the design, deployment, and long-term operations of their network. Solutions Results A Network Purpose-Built for healthcare Through a competitive RFP process, NETC partnered with ProInfoNet to design a healthcare-focused network from the ground up. ProInfoNet interviewed more than 120 healthcare CIOs to understand exactly what they needed and ensured the final architecture supported the performance, compliance, and reliability demands of healthcare providers. Redundant & High-Speed By Design ProInfoNet engineered a dual-core infrastructure supported by three diverse ISPs to guarantee seamless failover. Each site connects to both core routers, enabling automatic switching in the event of a disruption, no manual intervention required. Managed and Monitored Around the Clock To ease the operational burden on NETC’s team, ProInfoNet implemented a dedicated 24/7 Network Operations Center (NOC) and provided real-time circuit monitoring software, giving members full visibility into performance while taking day-to-day management off their plate. Results Work With Us A National Footprint of 1,400 Healthcare Sites What began as a 500-site regional effort has grown into a nationwide network connecting more than 1,400 healthcare facilities. NETC now serves as a critical bridge between rural providers and the broadband infrastructure they need to deliver care. Uninterrupted Connectivity for Critical Services NETC sites use the network for everything from secure data exchange to remote diagnostics and telehealth visits. The redundant design keeps facilities online through hardware disruptions or ISP outages. With 100% core uptime and 99.999% internet uptime, NETC’s network delivers the consistent, reliable connectivity healthcare organizations need to provide uninterrupted care. The Largest Healthcare Broadband Network in the U.S. Today, NETC is believed to be the largest purpose-built healthcare broadband network in the country. As more sites continue to join the network, NETC and ProInfoNet remain tightly aligned—monitoring network performance, resolving issues in real time, and preparing for the next phase of growth with SD-WAN integration through the NETC Next-Gen initiative. Interested in implementing a similar network solution? Talk to Us