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Goffstown, New Hampshire Selects FirstLight for Fiber and Unified Communications ServicesALBANY, N.Y., June 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- FirstLight, a leading provider of fiber-optic data, Internet, data center, cloud, and unified communications services to enterprise and carrier customers throughout the Northeast and mid-Atlantic, announced today that the Town of Goffstown has selected FirstLight for its fiber optic Internet and hosted phone provider.
Goffstown, located about eight miles west of Manchester, New Hampshire, is known by some as home to Saint Anselm College. Goffstown municipal offices needed a resilient, high-speed network and fully featured unified communications systems to serve its municipal buildings. Having a low-latency network was essential to improve communication, particularly between critical services including the fire and police departments. "We had several challenges to overcome in order to have a modern, integrated network and phone system among our municipal departments," explained Brian Rae, Systems Administrator for the Town of Goffstown. "Last year, our police department had an independent in-house phone system, and we had a few legacy systems that other vendors didn't want to touch, including pagers and an antiquated alarm bell in Dispatch Operations." Goffstown wanted to seamlessly connect its town offices to its three fire stations, publi works, parks and recreation, police department, library, and TV studio using a single phone system connected via a low-latency, fiber optic network. They also wanted to connect their two data centers with fiber, which Rae said "made a world of difference" in the speed of data access. "It was tricky business to cut over all those disparate phone lines on multiple systems and vendors and implement a modern communication system," said Rae. With collaboration from his team and FirstLight, the process went smoothly, and the town continues to realize the benefits. "Goffstown had approximately 150 phones that needed to be connected, and every user had different needs and preferences," said Mary Buehrer, FirstLight's Manager for Voice Implementation, who was on site to oversee the implementation. "We helped guide municipal staff to discover and select what options they really wanted." Goffstown's relationship with FirstLight also facilitated helping Saint Anselm College provide dispatch and incident command support for the 2020 New Hampshire Democratic Presidential Primary Debate. FirstLight was able to move phone lines to a command center trailer on campus for added communications support the night of the Presidential Debate. "The improved reliability, reduced latency, and synchronous download and upload speeds have greatly improved the experience for our users and the reliability of services that our citizens deserve," added Rae. "Throughout this project, FirstLight was attentive and resolute in ensuring that everything was how we expected it to be." "Efficient communications and network speed are essential to the success of a municipality," said Kurt Van Wagenen, President and CEO of FirstLight. "When it comes to emergency response, having a modern communications system and a redundant, dependable network will undoubtedly enhance the town's ability to deliver critical services to its constituents." About FirstLight Fiber FirstLight, headquartered in Albany, New York, provides fiber-optic data, Internet, data center, cloud and voice services to enterprise and carrier customers throughout the Northeast and mid-Atlantic connecting more than 9,000 locations in service with more than 30,000 locations serviceable by our more than 20,000-route mile network. FirstLight offers a robust suite of advanced telecommunications products featuring a comprehensive portfolio of high bandwidth connectivity solutions including Ethernet, wavelength and dark fiber services as well as dedicated Internet access solutions, data center, cloud and voice services. FirstLight's clientele includes national cellular providers and wireline carriers and many leading enterprises, spanning high tech manufacturing and research, hospitals and healthcare, banking and financial, secondary education, colleges and universities, and local and state governments. To learn more about FirstLight, visit www.firstlight.net, or follow the company on Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram. Media Contact: About Goffstown, New Hampshire The Town of Goffstown was incorporated June 17, 1761, and is named for Colonel John Goffe, an early settler, soldier and civic leader. Only 13 miles from the Manchester-Boston Regional Airport, and an hour North of Boston, Goffstown is a business-friendly community with a school district ranked 4th in New Hampshire. It is also home to Saint Anselm College, the New Hampshire Institute of Politics, and the New Hampshire Primary Presidential Debates.
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