Fiber Network Coming for Town, Schools

Grafton Community Television, with the approval of the Grafton Board of Selectmen, will move forward with a fiber municipal area network.

This new fiber system replaces a 25-year-old Institutional Network, or I-Net, that assisted with public access television broadcasts from out of studio locations, including the Grafton Municipal Center and Grafton High School auditorium.

The new fiber area network is funded from the cable fund, which includes money provided by the town’s two cable television vendors, Charter Communications and Verizon, for cable-related purposes.

The total cost for the project is $453,382.

The primary purpose of the fiber network allows for public access television broadcasts from municipal and school buildings and certain publicly-owned outdoor park facilities.

Another benefit provides a network that can support reliable and significantly lower cost high-speed transmission between government offices and municipal departments.

The area network provides a fiber optic backbone for the town and schools to make major upgrades. This is a one-time capital expense, without cost to the general taxpayer, which over time has the potential to eliminate the need for ongoing expenses for leased services.

Monthly Grafton Community Television channel schedules can be found at www.graftontv.org.