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Select Board accepts $250,000 Community Compact grant to install isolated fiber for critical infrastructure cybersecurity
Summary
The Select Board approved a $250,000 Community Compact municipal grant to install an isolated above‑ground fiber network connecting five town facilities to improve cybersecurity; town staff said the grant covers the total cost and that continued cellular access will remain but through more secure, managed connections.
The Select Board approved acceptance of a $250,000 Community Compact grant intended to fund an isolated fiber‑optic connection between municipal critical facilities to improve cybersecurity and reduce reliance on public internet paths.
Town officials said the project will run above ground on utility poles, using existing pole networks and a small roster of qualified contractors. The project aims to link five facilities with a dedicated fiber network so critical control systems can be routed off the public internet; staff said the approach will not eliminate cellular access for field staff but will create a more secure ‘‘backbone’’ that reduces third‑party port tunneling and attack surfaces.
Officials said the $250,000 award is expected to cover the project’s total cost and that the town has already procured a scope of work to support the grant application; if minor cost drivers emerge the town will manage them under existing appropriation processes. A motion to accept and authorize the grant and contract, and to permit digital signatures, was made and approved by the board.
