NHEC members have approved amendments to the Co-op’s bylaws that will allow the Board of Directors to consider all options for providing access to high speed internet service for members.

By a vote of 8,853 YES to 1,158 NO, the proposed bylaw changes were approved by 88.4% of members voting, well exceeding the two-thirds majority required for passage.

“The level of participation in this election is a demonstration of our members’ interest in NHEC moving forward on broadband and a sign of the Co-op’s health,” said NHEC Board Chair Tom Mongeon. “Just as it brought electricity to rural New Hampshire 80 years ago, NHEC is well positioned to provide high speed internet to these same areas of our state.”

The bylaw changes approved by members give NHEC the ability to respond quickly and efficiently to federal, state, and local funding opportunities. They will also allow NHEC’s Board of Directors to enter into strategic partnerships and evaluate the best organizational structure to ensure members have access to the broadband service they need.

Though work has already begun on a pilot project to provide high speed internet access to about 900 NHEC members in Lempster, Colebrook, Clarksville, and Stewartstown by the end of the year, NHEC is not currently signing up members for broadband internet service and does not have a timetable for connecting particular towns. For all the latest broadband news, visit NHEC.com/broadband.