State broadband 10‑year plan: consultant flags workforce gap, mobile coverage shortfalls and affordability choices

A consultant for the Vermont Public Service Department presented the state—s most recent 10‑year broadband plan to the House Energy and Digital Infrastructure Committee, saying the plan (completed in June of last year) shows strong progress on fiber but identifies a need for more workers, targeted mobile coverage investment and a state approach to affordability if federal subsidies lapse.

The plan was presented by Alex Kelly, director of Broadband Consulting, who told the committee the plan followed statutory planning steps in Title 30 and used a mix of quantitative and qualitative research including a statewide drive test, surveys of about 500 households, online business and health care surveys, and roughly 60 stakeholder interviews. Kelly said, "the plan was completed in June of last year," and added the team performed an engineering coverage analysis and an input‑output study of the construction workforce.

Why it matters: The draft identifies several concrete gaps that affect commerce, health care and public safety across Vermont: a projected shortfall of broadband construction and maintenance workers, tens of thousands of road miles lacking mobile coverage, and the loss of a federal subsidy program that previously helped low‑income residents pay for broadband.

Most significant findings

- Workforce: Kelly said the plan…