Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Municipal broadband leaders tell Senate Finance Vermont has built miles of fiber but affordability remains urgent
Summary
Representatives of Vermont communications union districts told the Senate Finance committee that public, nonprofit CUDs have driven thousands of miles of fiber deployment using state and federal grants, but affordability — and replacement of the federal subsidy — remains a major barrier to universal adoption.
Ellie DeBilders, executive director of Maple Broadband, and Krista Shute, executive director of NEK/CV and secretary of the Association of Communications Union Districts (VACUDA), told the Senate Finance committee on Jan. 29 that Vermont’s municipal CUDs have accelerated fiber deployment but face persistent affordability challenges.
"We can invest every single dollar we have into getting to the last mile and then continue to invest back into the communities," DeBilders said, summing the CUDs’ rationale for public nonprofit ownership. The presenters credited Act 71 (2021), the Vermont Community Broadband Fund, ARPA match funds, USDA Reconnect and other grants with jump-starting deployments.
The presenters said the state-funded…
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
