Vermont Community Broadband Board reports major BEAD award, program rollout and a canceled NTIA digital equity grant

Christina Sweet and JB Ladoux of the Vermont Community Broadband Board told the House Appropriations Committee on Feb. 10 that Vermont has made substantial broadband progress since Act 71 (2021) and reviewed federal grant status, program design and budget details for FY2027.

Progress and coverage: "There are less than 1% of our addresses in Vermont that are really left without a funding commitment," Sweet said, attributing the change to work by communications union districts and federal grants since 2021.

NTIA digital equity grant: Sweet and JB Ladoux reported that a National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) digital equity capacity grant worth $5,300,000 was canceled; Ladoux said the VCBB had spent about $215,000 of that grant and an additional roughly $20,000 in allowable closeout costs before cancellation.

BEAD award and technology neutrality: The board described the Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) program work and said federal guidance required VCBB to be technology-neutral in subgrantee solicitations (inviting fiber, cable, hybrid, wireless and satellite applicants). Sweet reported a current BEAD-related award/portfolio figure of $228,900,000 (inclusive of an earlier $5,000,000 planning allocation) and said the subgrantee selection process was reissued under the new requirements; the board expects a final determination from NTIA soon.

Affordable Long Drop program and consumer protections: VCBB said it launched an ARPA-funded "Affordable Long Drop" program to fund nonstandard or long drop installation costs so consumers would not face steep out-of-pocket fees when a main line passes their property but physical barriers make standard installation insufficient. On satellite awards, Sweet said state awards typically cover consumer equipment, installation fees and in-person installation when required so consumers do not bear extra costs.

Budget accounting and USF: JB Ladoux reviewed the budget development form, explaining that several expenses previously charged to the Universal Service Fund (USF) were reallocated to federal grants where appropriate, vacancy savings freed funds, and the board expects lower USF requests and higher federal spending authority in FY2027 as federal grant activity increases.

Maps/GIS and local timelines: VCBB said it maintains a GIS hub with address-level funding assignments and timelines and offered to share the link with committee members and CUDs for local follow-up.

Next steps: The committee asked follow-up questions about satellite mix, timelines and local coverage; VCBB said it will share maps and remain available for additional questions and materials.