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House committee hears state officials on Vermont cell‑coverage gaps, will review 10‑year telecom plan
Summary
State telecommunications officials told the House Committee on Energy and Digital Infrastructure that gaps in cell coverage and reliance on smartphones for internet access create public‑safety and equity concerns; the committee agreed to receive and review the state's 10‑year telecommunications plan and schedule a follow-up briefing.
Members of the Vermont House Committee on Energy and Digital Infrastructure heard testimony from Department of Public Service officials that gaps in cellular coverage are creating public‑safety and equity problems and that remedies will require partnerships among public, quasi‑public and private entities.
Department of Public Service Commissioner Carrick Johnson and Hunter Thompson, director of telecommunications at Connectivity for the Department of Public Service, briefed the committee on how increasing smartphone dependence and remaining coverage gaps leave some Vermonters cut off from essential services. "Cell phone ownership was from about 35% to 85%...so in the past 10 years, we had a 50% jump," Thompson said, citing national Pew Research data to show the shift toward mobile reliance.
The Department highlighted several consequences.…
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