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Recent Broadband News Roundup - Episode 619 of the Community Broadband Bits Podcast
In this episode of the podcast, Chris is joined by colleagues Sean Gonsalves, Ry Marcattilio, and Jessica Auer to discuss several key topics in the world of broadband. The conversation begins with Jessica’s firsthand account of the devastating impact of Hurricane Helene in Asheville, North Carolina, highlighting the region’s communication challenges during and after the storm. The team delves into the critical importance of resilient telecommunications infrastructure in the face of natural disasters.
Later in the episode, Christopher, Sean, and Ry discuss the political controversy surrounding the FCC’s decision to deny Starlink's bid for Federal Rural Digital Opportunity Fund (RDOF) support, analyzing whether the decision was influenced by political bias. They explore how this case fits into the broader debate about satellite Internet's role in rural broadband access.
Finally, the team shares updates on key broadband initiatives, including a project in South Central Los Angeles and Vermont’s workforce development programs aimed at training the next generation of fiber technicians. This episode provides listeners with a broad overview of community broadband efforts across the United States, offering insights into the challenges and successes of bringing high-speed Internet to underserved areas.
This show is 35 minutes long and can be played on this page or via Apple Podcasts or the tool of your choice using this feed.
Transcript below.
We want your feedback and suggestions for the show-please e-mail us or leave a comment below.
Listen to other episodes or view all episodes in our index. See other podcasts from the Institute for Local Self-Reliance.
Thanks to Arne Huseby for the music. The song is Warm Duck Shuffle and is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license
Vermont Launches New Fiber Optic Apprenticeship Program With ‘Paycheck From The Start’
In a historic effort to blanket Vermont with fiber-to-the-home networks, the Green Mountain State has been banking on a community broadband-driven approach to connect the unconnected through its ten Communications Union Districts (CUDs).
Now, state leaders are adding another community-rooted program to its toolbox that promises to help fill the ranks of the very workforce building the networks.
Earlier this week, the Vermont Community Broadband Board (VCBB) announced the launch of a new Fiber Optic Apprenticeship Program officials say will put “participants to work right away, allowing them to learn on the job and earn a paycheck from the start.”
The workforce development initiative will be a part of the Telecommunications Industry Registered Apprenticeship Program (TIRAP), a “competency-based apprenticeship” sponsored by the Wireless Infrastructure Association (WIA). And in addition to earning a paycheck, apprentices who complete the program will also earn a national credential recognized by the U.S. Department of Labor.
VCBB Executive Director Christine Hallquist characterized the apprenticeship program as “a huge opportunity for Vermonters to get into a new career without any cost to them that will provide a paycheck from day one and many options for career advancement.”
Vermont Establishes ‘Long Drop’ Program to Help Connect Low-Income Households To Fiber Internet
Building fiber networks in sparsely populated rural communities is not cheap. And when it comes to deploying fiber drops to individual homes set back relatively far off the main roads where fiber lines pass by, it can prove to be cost prohibitive to connect those households.
But in Vermont, the push to ensure every household in the Green Mountain State has access to the gold-standard of Internet connectivity, the Vermont Community Broadband Board (VCBB) this week unanimously approved the creation of a new “low-income long and underground drop program.”
“We’re not talking about (connecting) multi-million mansions two miles off the road, but households with a true need,” VCBB Deputy Director Robert Fish tells ILSR, adding:
“What good is a fiber network if households can’t connect? This (program) is one way we can address affordability, whether it’s long aerial drops or underground.”
Re-Investing Leftover Federal Rescue Plan Funds
Approved by the VCBB at their regular meeting on September 9, the new program will use $2.5 million in leftover federal Rescue Plan funds to subsidize the cost of connecting low-income households in high-cost locations.
“These are Capital Project Funds (courtesy of the American Rescue Plan Act) from projects that came in under budget,” Fish explained, noting how most of the $245 million the state has received to build out broadband networks has already been awarded to the 10 Communications Union Districts (CUDs) now bringing fiber service to Vermonters long neglected by the big incumbent providers.
Convergence is Here | Episode 99.3 of the Connect This! Show
Join us Thursday, September 12th at 2pm ET for the latest episode of the Connect This! Show. Co-hosts Christopher Mitchell (ILSR) and Travis Carter (USI Fiber) will be joined by regular guests Kim McKinley (UTOPIA Fiber) and Doug Dawson (CCG Consulting) to talk about Verizon buying Frontier, AT&T working with Gigapower on open access efforts, Charter still not deploying CBRS, and more.
Email us at broadband@communitynets.org with feedback and ideas for the show.
Subscribe to the show using this feed or find it on the Connect This! page, and watch on LinkedIn, on YouTube Live, on Facebook live, or below.
Shot Clock Winding Down on ARPA Funds For Broadband Projects
Communities looking to leverage American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding for broadband or other local infrastructure need to act soon or risk losing access to a once-in-a-generation funding resource.
Most ARPA recipients seem well aware of the deadline, but data suggests more than a few communities could drop the ball.
As part of the 2021 American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), $25 billion was specifically earmarked for broadband expansion.
But the law also created the State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds (SLFRF) program, which doled out $350 billion for states, municipalities, and tribal governments to offset pandemic losses or flexibly invest in local infrastructure.
Vermont CUD Northwest Fiberworx Nabs $20 Million ARPA Infusion
The popular Vermont Communications Union District (CUD) Northwest Fiberworx (NWFX) has received a $20.2 million infusion in state American Rescue Plan Act dollars to extend affordable fiber broadband into long-underserved regions of the Green Mountain State.
The St. Albans-based CUD is a nonprofit special purpose municipality with 22 member towns. Its latest build will connect 3,800 unserved and underserved households in Franklin and Grand Isle counties in the Northwest part of the state.
Great Works Internet Vermont (GWI VT) will design the network and manage the operations, though Fiberworx will own the finished build.
“We have a unique model, that of which we will build, own and maintain a fiber-to-the-premise open-access network,” Northwest Fiberworx Network Operations Manager, Mary Kay Raymond said in a statement.
The new $20.2 million grant awarded late last month by the Vermont Community Broadband Board (VCCB), was made possible by 2021 federal COVID relief funding courtesy of the American Rescue Plan Act.
“Northwest Fiberworx and their partner Great Works Internet Vermont have found a way to bring service where others would not,” VCBB Deputy Director Rob Fish said of the award.
“They’re building a sustainable network to serve Vermonters for decades to come.”
$25 Million Lamoille County, Vermont Fiber Build Gets Underway
Last October, Vermont CUD (Communications Utility District) Lamoille FiberNet greenlit a $25 million public partnership with Consolidated Communications. The goal: to finally bring affordable fiber broadband access to 4,170 locals in Lamoille County. Eight months later and locals say network construction is finally getting underway.
According to the Lamoille County News And Citizen, Consolidated trucks have started to appear in towns like Stowe, Johnson, Eden, Cambridge, Belvidere and Waterville as Phase 1 of the network build gets underway.
Consolidated crews plan to deploy more than 400 miles of fiber this summer, providing locals with speeds up to 10 gigabits per second (Gbps).
“It’s been a Herculean effort for more than three years, so we’re all very excited to see the trucks rolling this summer,” Lamoille FiberNet Executive Director Lisa Birmingham told the outlet.
Vermont's Community-Driven Broadband for All - Episode 606 of the Community Broadband Bits Podcast
In this episode of the podcast, Chris and Ry engage in an insightful discussion with Ellie de Villiers, Executive Director of Maple Broadband in Vermont. They explore the unique Communications Union District (CUD) model that Vermont has adopted to bridge the broadband infrastructure gap, especially in underserved areas.
Ellie shares her personal connection to Vermont and describes the local lifestyle before diving into the history and structure of Maple Broadband. The conversation highlights the strategic partnership between Maple Broadband and Waitsfield and Champlain Valley Telecom (WCVT), detailing how this collaboration aims to enhance broadband access in Addison County.
The episode also delves into the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on broadband needs, the challenges of building infrastructure in rural areas, and the importance of community involvement. Ellie explains the phases of construction, the funding mechanisms, and the hurdles they faced, such as make-ready work and pole attachment issues.
The discussion wraps up with a look at future plans, including potential uses of BEAD funding and the ongoing evolution of Maple Broadband's strategy to provide high-quality, affordable internet to its community.
This show is 42 minutes long and can be played on this page or via Apple Podcasts or the tool of your choice using this feed.
Transcript below.
We want your feedback and suggestions for the show-please e-mail us or leave a comment below.
Listen to other episodes or view all episodes in our index. See other podcasts from the Institute for Local Self-Reliance.
Thanks to Arne Huseby for the music. The song is Warm Duck Shuffle and is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license
Vermont CUD Maple Broadband Moving Quickly To Expand Access
Vermont’s Communications Union Districts (CUDs), which were the subject of a recently released ILSR report, continue to make steady inroads in delivering high-quality broadband access to long-neglected rural Vermont residents.
That includes locally owned not-for-profit municipal operation Maple Broadband, which has completed the first phase of its broadband network and is busy on an expansion.
Maple Broadband is technically an extension of the Addison County Communications Union District (ACCUD), a coalition of 20 different member towns working collaboratively to bring gigabit-capable fiber to residents long left unserved or underserved by regional telecom giants.
In September of 2021 Maple Broadband announced a public private partnership with Vermont-based Waitsfield and Champlain Valley Telecom (WCVT), to build and operate a district-wide fiber network. The $30 million network is, in part, propped up by ARPA funds and a $9.1 million grant from the Vermont Community Broadband Board (VCBB).
Three years later and the CUD says it has completed the first phase of its network; laying 143.5 miles of fiber and passing 1,647 homes and businesses in portions of the Vermont towns of Cornwall, Orwell, Shoreham, Whiting, Salisbury, and Middlebury.
Neighborly Networks - Vermont's Approach to Community Broadband
In partnership with the Benton Institute for Broadband and Society, today ILSR releases a new report examining how the state of Vermont is supercharging its telecommunications infrastructure efforts to reach the unconnected by puttings its weight behind community broadband-driven efforts.
The report - Neighborly Networks: Vermont's Approach to Community Broadband [pdf] - traces the emergence of a unique public-public partnership arrangement that first appeared in the Green Mountain State in 2008. The Communications Union Districts (CUD) model first emerged more than a decade and a half ago among a coalition of towns in the eastern part of the state long-ignored by for-profit Internet Service Providers. There, a collection of community broadband champions came together to prove that the solution to the broken marketplace lay internal to east-central Vermont. ECFiber, a publicly owned, nonprofit ISP was borne of that effort, and began bringing affordable, fast, reliable service to households in the region.
Ten years later, when the state began formulating a plan for the future of Internet access, the progress made by and lessons learned from ECFiber drove a landmark shift in public policy in the state. Volunteers emerged, towns voted, and CUDs were placed at the center of Vermont’s effort to bridge the infrastructure gap in the state. Today, there are ten CUDs covering 216 towns across the state, and Vermont’s leaders have put the lion’s share of public funds behind the communications union district model.
Tracing the history of this effort from 2008 to today, this report breaks down the conditions that led to this sea change, where the CUDs are at today, and how we might learn from the Vermont case to improve Internet access elsewhere across the country.