Keene, N.H. — Yesterday, Congresswoman Annie Kuster (NH-02) met with Cheshire County Administrator Chris Coates and Cheshire Sheriff Eli Rivera to discuss $875,000 from the Northern Border Regional Commission for Cheshire County to purchase and install radio system equipment and repeater sites, enhancing security and closing gaps in coverage. Kuster advocated for the grant and was also instrumental in expanding the Northern Border Regional Commission into Cheshire county in the 2018 Farm Bill.

“Ensuring emergency response dispatch centers are fully operational with up-to-date equipment is critical to the safety of our communities here in Cheshire and across New Hampshire,” said Rep. Kuster (NH-02). “It was my pleasure to meet with community leaders in Keene to discuss the important funding awarded by the Northern Border Regional Commission. These investments will help modernize emergency communication systems in the county and close the coverage gap in rural areas. I’m proud to have expanded funding for the NBRC to make projects like these possible and will continue to work across the aisle to deliver for New Hampshire.” 

“I’m thankful to have had the opportunity to welcome Congresswoman Kuster to Cheshire County,” said Chris Coates, Cheshire County Administrator. “We appreciate her advocacy to ensure we have the resources we need to continue doing necessary and important work for the citizens of Cheshire County. Cheshire County has received Northern Border Regional Commission funding to upgrade communication equipment integral to the Sheriff’s dispatch center. These upgrades will help keep our community safe and allow the Sheriff’s department to protect and serve Cheshire County. Congresswoman Kuster has consistently supported the NBRC, and these funds would not have been possible without her.”

"Congresswoman Annie Kuster has been a champion for Cheshire County," said Eli Rivera, Cheshire County Sheriff. "She works hard to ensure the safety of our community and was instrumental in accessing federal funds for the improvement of the Cheshire County Sheriff's Office Communications Center infrastructure."

“Strengthening telecommunications networks across the region is a priority for the Northern Border Regional Commission,” said NBRC Federal Co-Chair Chris Saunders. “We are able to invest in this type of critical infrastructure in New Hampshire thanks to the support of Congresswoman Kuster and her colleagues in Congress.”

Kuster is a fierce advocate for New Hampshire’s rural communities in Congress and has worked to secure critical federal resources. A Member of the Bipartisan Rural Broadband Task Force, she helped deliver $150 million for the Northern Border Regional Commission in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Package for economic development and other local projects.

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