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 projects the state will need to add about 750 broadband construction and maintenance workers to meet planned fiber deployments and subsequent maintenance. The consultant recommended scaling existing training programs at the state college level and partnering with the Broadband Board to monitor recruitment benchmarks.

- Mobile coverage and siting approach: The plan—s engineering analysis found that much of Vermont—s uncovered roadway could be addressed most cost‑efficiently by deploying many shorter (about 50‑foot) wireless facilities rather than fewer 140‑foot macro towers. The report estimates roughly 107 small wireless facilities could close the easiest half of remaining mobile coverage gaps at a construction cost "just over $10,000,000." The consultant recommended piloting a small‑facilities mobile wireless grant program and stronger permit tracking so the Public Service Department knows when permitted towers are actually built.

- Affordability: With the federal Portable Connectivity/Affordable Connectivity programs not funded at the time the plan was drafted, the consultant analyzed state options. Using a proposed affordability target of 2% of monthly income for combined fixed and mobile service, the plan estimated a typical subsidy need of about $67 per month for eligible households and laid out multiple program cost scenarios (the higher scenario was "in the low‑twenties million dollars per year," the narrower scenario in the "teens of millions"). The plan also recommended a separate program to provide fully subsidized mobile devices and service for people experiencing homelessness.

- Public safety and resiliency: The plan includes analysis of public safety communications, FirstNet deployments and the pros and cons of consolidating public safety answering points (PSAPs). Presenters said stakeholders reported insufficient funding to fully implement statewide interoperability plans and urged that resiliency (flood, storm) be built into grant programs and new deployments.

Policy and statutory issues

Kelly told the committee the plan followed the procedural requirements cited in the statute the team referenced as "30 V.S.A. §§ 202b–202d." The presentation also recommended modernizing overlapping or out‑of‑date telecom statutes, extending the broadband board—s sunset date to cover oversight during and after deployment, and clarifying pole access and utility burial responsibilities as electric utilities pursue undergrounding in coming years.

Committee discussion and follow up

Committee members asked for more detail on workforce size and training timelines; Kelly said the team used federal BLS job classifications and that many construction roles can be filled through short technical training (six to 14 weeks) rather than four‑year degrees. Members also pressed the group on the Agency of Transportation—s practice of waiving or charging right‑of‑way fees for broadband (the presenters said AOT is studying its fee waivers and may resume charging in some cases). Members requested the full report be posted to the committee site and asked staff to provide the plan link later.

No formal votes or binding actions were taken during the presentation; the meeting was a briefing and discussion of the plan—s findings and recommendations. The consultants repeatedly framed many items as recommendations for future bills, pilot grants, or interagency studies rather than immediate committee mandates.

Ending

Presenters recommended several next steps the committee could pursue, including piloting a small‑wireless grant program, scaling technical training to recruit roughly 750 workers, improving state permit and deployment reporting, studying the costs and responsibilities associated with utility undergrounding, and considering how a state affordability subsidy could replace or complement federal programs. Committee members asked to receive the full plan and supporting materials via the committee staff and signaled interest in follow‑up hearings and bill language to address statutes and funding.