
Fast, affordable Internet access for all.
In this episode of the podcast, Chris is joined by Ry Marcattilio and Christa Shute, Executive Director of NEK Broadband, to discuss the evolving landscape of community broadband in Vermont. They explore the transformative merger of NEK Broadband and CVFiber, now covering 71 towns, and the innovative ways the organization is bridging connectivity gaps in one of the most rural and economically challenged areas of the state.
The conversation highlights NEK’s strides in workforce development, with local job training programs for broadband installation and maintenance, as well as partnerships with the Vermont Community Broadband Board and state funding efforts that have secured over $100 million in grants. Christa shares the importance of affordability programs like the NEK Digital Equity Pilot to sustain connectivity for low-income residents following the end of the Affordable Connectivity Program.
This show is 30 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.
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Thanks to Arne Huseby for the music. The song is Warm Duck Shuffle and is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license
In this episode of the podcast, Chris interviews Steven John, Chair of the governing board of DV Fiber, Vermont’s Deerfield Valley Communications Union District. They discuss Vermont's innovative approach to broadband access through Communications Union Districts (CUDs)—municipally led collaborations designed to provide universal, high-speed Internet. Steven highlights the unique challenges of delivering fiber to Vermont's rural communities, including navigating tough terrain, limited labor resources, and old infrastructure.
They explore the success of DV Fiber, which has connected hundreds of customers while adhering to a mission of affordability and accessibility. Topics include partnerships with local companies, lessons learned from electrification history, the resilience of fiber networks, and strategies for overcoming competitive pressures. This conversation provides a valuable look at how public governance and private expertise can merge to achieve universal broadband, even in the most challenging areas.
This show is 33 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
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
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.”
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.
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 [email protected] 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.
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.
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.”
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.
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