Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Vermont broadband director says BEAD awards aim for fiber; NTIA review may push more satellite
Summary
The Vermont Community Broadband Board director told the Joint IT Oversight Committee that a negotiated BEAD proposal favors fiber to reach remaining addresses but that NTIA has a 90‑day review window that could require more satellite service in the plan.
The Vermont Community Broadband Board’s plan for federal BEAD funding prioritizes fiber to reach remaining unserved addresses, but the federal grant administrator may press the state to accept more satellite solutions during a 90‑day review window, the board’s director told the Joint Information Technology Oversight Committee on Aug. 26.
“We will get to 97% of the addresses addressed with fiber,” the director said, describing the state’s submission and a negotiation that reduced the proposed BEAD award total while modestly increasing the number of locations proposed for satellite service.
Why it matters: The BEAD (Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment) program is the National Telecommunications and Information Administration’s primary federal broadband grant. How Vermont allocates BEAD funds will determine which addresses receive fiber, hybrid systems, satellite or other technologies; those choices affect long‑term service quality…
Already have an account? Log in
Subscribe to keep reading
Unlock the rest of this article — and every article on Citizen Portal.
- Unlimited articles
- AI-powered breakdowns of topics, speakers, decisions, and budgets
- Instant alerts when your location has a new meeting
- Follow topics and more locations
- 1,000 AI Insights / month, plus AI Chat
