LAMOILLE COUNTY – Lamoille FiberNet Communications Union District has successfully completed its Universal Service Plan, ensuring that every on-grid address within its 10-town footprint now has access to at least one high-speed broadband provider. This milestone marks the culmination of a five-year effort, including a two-year construction effort in partnership with Fidium Fiber.
Between Phase 1 construction in 2024 and Phase 2 completed this summer, more than 550 miles of fiber were built, bringing multi-gigabit-capable service to nearly 5,000 previously unserved or underserved addresses across Lamoille County. “This achievement represents years of collaboration, persistence, and smart partnership,” said Andrew Ross, chair of Lamoille FiberNet. “Our shared goal was simple but ambitious: to make sure every home and business in our territory could connect to reliable, affordable, high-speed internet. Thanks to the hard work of our board, staff, and partners at Fidium Fiber, we’ve made that a reality.”
With the Lamoille FiberNet grants and capital investment from Fidium Fiber, coupled with efficient construction methods that allowed the company to overlash new fiber to existing phone lines, the project was completed under budget. As a result, Lamoille FiberNet was able to return a portion of its grant funds to the Vermont Community Broadband Board, to help expand broadband elsewhere in the state.
Another major contributor to cost savings was Fidium’s decision to expand its covered drop policy to 2,000 feet from the home or business the nearest network pole or pedestal, well beyond the industry-standard 250 feet, eliminating hundreds of thousands of dollars in potential installation costs for both homeowners and Lamoille FiberNet.
With its Universal Service Plan complete and Fidium handling internet service and network maintenance, Lamoille FiberNet will continue its oversight role ensuring that all performance standards, reporting, and other requirements are met, and continue to collaborate with the state’s other CUDs.
The Lamoille Fibernet is a Vermont Communications Union District (CUD) with a mission “to prioritize access of unserved and underserved addresses to symmetrical, high-speed and affordable internet service. For more information, visit lamoillefiber.net.
map from LamoilleFiber.net
