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Broadband board says Vermont on track for universal fiber build; BEAD selections to follow prequalification
Summary
Vermont Community Broadband Board staff told the Appropriations Committee the state has met prequalification for bidders on all addresses, has obligated ARPA and state capital, and will select BEAD awardees by June if federal rules remain in place.
Officials from the Vermont Community Broadband Board briefed the Senate Appropriations Committee on progress toward statewide fiber deployment and federal grant activity.
Christine Hopeless and Christina Steed reported the board has obligated its ARPA and state capital funds and that a prequalification process for broadband grant applicants covered every address in Vermont. The board said it expects to allocate approximately $214 million of its $229 million in state BEAD-related funds to infrastructure projects and to make selections this summer. "We finished the big prequalification process, and we're in the bidding process now," the board's compliance director said.
Broadband board staff emphasized the project remains subject to federal guidance but said the state is "ahead of schedule and under budget" on prior funding streams and that community-based Communication Union Districts (CUDs) and other applicants have bids and designs in hand for most areas.
Ending: The broadband board requested ongoing committee support for program administration and said staff will return with details as federal guidance and award decisions evolve.
