The days of limited internet competition in Haverhill are coming to an end.
Despite limited progress reports over the last two years, Breezeline says it has taken significant steps toward bringing fiber optic internet, cable and telephone service to Haverhill, offering an alternative to the historically dominant Comcast.
With engineering and design work complete, Head of Corporate Communications Andrew Walton said the length of the permitting process—he estimated six months to a year—determines when customers can begin signing up. Connecting Haverhill to a newly-built hub in Plaistow, N.H., requires permits “from multiple parties … for underground work, road [or] highway crossings and more,” Walton explained.
Subscribers can have fiber optic cables connected directly to their homes with upload and download speeds up to one gigabit per second, according to Walton.
Former Mayor James J. Fiorentini approved the project in September 2022, calling it “years in the making.” Unlike Comcast, Haverhill’s then-lawyer William H. Soloman said at the time Breezeline, formerly known as Atlantic Broadband, will provide, educational and government channels in high-definition and give more money to HC Media. Walton confirmed the pledge to public access TV, saying the money is drawn in part from fees based on subscriptions in Haverhill.
Fiorentini said in a prepared statement at the time, “Since the earliest days of taking office, we have been actively searching for a second cable company in Haverhill to provide competition and options for our residents and businesses,”
As WHAV reported, Breezeline Director of Government Affairs Francis Bradley said at a August 2022 public meeting the company offers more than 300 channels as well as low-income cable options. He added the project will cost Breezeline $28 to $30 million and was estimated to take 18 months to complete.
Breezeline will be the first major cable alternative to compete with Comcast in the city. Customer service at the communications giant ranks as one of the worst in the nation, according to a 2016 Temkin Group Research survey. Moreover, a study by the Federal Communications Commission suggests cable prices decrease where there is competition.
With Salisbury giving approval at a similar time as Haverhill, customers are beginning to sign up there, according to Walton. The company will inform Haverhill households and businesses when its services become available.