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Board approves revised Long Drop Program, leaves deadlines to legal and CCI review
Summary
The board approved an updated Long Drop Program scope and clarifications but left phase 1 and phase 2 deadlines contingent on final approval from CCI and legal counsel; local ARPA funds and VCBB grant rules were discussed.
Lamoille FiberNet’s board voted Dec. 11 to approve an updated Long Drop Program that clarifies scope and eligibility for long-drop connections, with an important caveat: the board left deadlines for phase 1 and phase 2 contingent on final approvals by CCI and legal counsel.
Staff member Lisa Birmingham explained the distinction between the VCBB grant and local ARPA funds, saying the VCBB grant "can only be used on unserved and underserved and incidental addresses," while local ARPA contributions from towns are unrestricted and may be used on other addresses. The board discussed the need to set an application cutoff to administer funds before the grant deadline and emphasized the need for clear customer communications; a dedicated local Fidium team will handle long-drop processing and outreach.
Jane Campbell moved to approve the updated Long Drop Program as presented, except for the deadlines for phase 1 and phase 2, contingent on final counsel and CCI approvals; Sam Lotto seconded and the motion passed unanimously. Board members asked staff to return with finalized deadlines after legal and CCI review and to publicize the application timeline via the newsletter and website updates.
