NORTHEAST KINGDOM, CENTRAL VERMONT – Last week Vermont Governor Phil Scott thanked the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) for approving Vermont’s $100 million proposal to use Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program funding to extend access to reliable, high speed and affordable broadband services to areas in Vermont where it currently does not exist.
map courtesy NEKCV website
In St. Johnsbury, NEK Community Broadband, that does business as NEKCV, combining NEK Broadband and CVFiber, announced it will receive a portion of those funds, a milestone made possible through sustained community engagement and strong support from state and federal legislators, its announcement said.
“The award will accelerate NEKCV’s mission to deliver reliable, affordable, publicly owned high-speed internet to some of Vermont’s most rural and least connected communities. BEAD funding will extend coverage to addresses along more than 1,400 miles of roadway, ultimately helping NEKCV reach 7,441 unserved and underserved addresses. Upon completion of the four-year BEAD project, NEKCV will have leveraged dozens of grant funding sources to achieve universal service for the 24,000 addresses without high-speed connectivity in its 72-town district.”
While the amount of the NEKCV award are not immediately available, Christa Shute, NEKCV Executive Director said, ““We had 50% of the unserved addresses in this BEAD project,” calling the funds “absolutely critical.”
“This is a generational opportunity to achieve universal broadband access,” she said
“We began laying the strategic groundwork for BEAD in 2021, when the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act was passed. We are so grateful for the support of the Vermont Legislature, the Governor, our delegation, our strategic partners, the NEK Broadband / CVFiber merger, the work of Vermont Communication Union District Association (VCUDA), and over 130 volunteers who serve on our board for the contributions they made to make this happen over the last four years.”
“Though NEKCV operates [the] two brands of NEK Broadband and CVFiber, we function as one united Communications Union District of 72 towns,” said Shute.
“Our team uses objective criteria to determine the order of construction. The primary criteria is the density of unserved and underserved addresses, therefore for BEAD the top priority will be Plainfield, Marshfield, Cabot, Woodbury, Wolcott and Hardwick.
“It’s exciting because much of this area already has pole licenses and permits, so as soon as we have an actual contract and we can get through the National Environmental Protection Act process we will be able to start construction. Our fingers are crossed that we can begin construction by the end of this year.”
NEKCV also credited strong leadership from the Vermont Community Broadband Board (VCBB) and state and federal legislators for championing broadband expansion and ensuring that rural communities and communications union districts were well positioned to compete successfully for BEAD funding.
The NEKCV announcement said, “Residents across the Northeast Kingdom and Central Vermont played a vital role by sharing their experiences with limited or nonexistent broadband access and by supporting local and state efforts to prioritize connectivity as essential infrastructure. Their voices helped shape a compelling case for investment that highlighted how improved connectivity will support education, healthcare, economic development and quality of life.”
“The impact of this award is nothing short of transformative, enabling universal service in the most neglected corners of Vermont. It will create local jobs, valuable public infrastructure, and sustainably support first-class internet service into the future,” said Nicolas Anzalone, NEKCV Executive Committee Chair.
Senate Minority Leader Scott Beck (R-Caledonia) released a statement from members of the Vermont Legislature representing communities in the Northeast Kingdom that said, “This award is a major step forward for many communities in our region. Universal broadband internet access for rural Americans is long overdue.
“BEAD funding will allow us to provide essential connectivity to the parts of the state that need it, and will benefit from it, the most.
“We want to thank Vermont’s congressional delegation, the Trump administration, the Vermont Community Broadband Board, as well as Governor Scott. It was truly a team effort. And, because of good collaboration, our communities will benefit tremendously when we finally deliver on the promise of universal access to affordable broadband services. This is the type of cooperation, and bipartisan effort that we need across the board to handle the serious challenges we face as a nation.”
In addition to Sen. Beck, other legislators from the region signing on to the statement include: Sen. Ingalls (R- Essex District), Rep. Burtt (R-Caledonia-Washington), Rep. Scott Campbell (D-Caledonia-Essex), Rep. Dolgin (R-Caledonia-Essex), Rep. Feltus (R-Caledonia 3), Rep. Harple (D-Orleans 4), Rep. Higley (R-Orleans-Lamoille), Rep. Kascenska (R-Essex-Caledonia), Rep. Labor (R-Essex-Orleans), Rep. Marcotte (R-Orleans-Lamoille), Rep. Page (R-Orleans 2), Rep. Parsons (I-Orange-Caledonia), Rep. Debra Powers (R-Caledonia 1), Rep. Quimby (R-Caledonia 3) and Rep. Southsworth (R-Caledonia 2).
With BEAD funding, NEKCV is now on track to deploy more than 3,000 miles of fiber-optic cable by 2029, delivering long-term broadband access and significant economic, educational, healthcare and civic benefits, they said.
In preparation for the project, NEKCV has maximized grant funding by investing directly in its district, hiring predominantly in-district employees and supporting a workforce development training program that creates jobs and strengthens the local economy. The network will be fully owned and controlled by NEKCV, a municipal communications union district, ensuring that any profits from this public investment will be reinvested in the district for the public good.
“We have staffed up and focused on local workforce development to prepare for BEAD,” said Shute.
“We have a predominantly local workforce of 30 employees with three construction contractors so we will continue to construct in multiple locations across the district.”
BEAD, a $42.45 billion federal grant program authorized by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, sets the goal of connecting every American to high-speed internet by funding partnerships within states to build infrastructure.
The Vermont proposal, which has now been approved by the NTIA, will result in more than 99 percent of households having access to affordable, high-speed internet services.
“This is a major milestone for many of our rural towns and a once-in-a-generation opportunity to strengthen and revitalize communities,” said Governor Phil Scott. “I want to thank Assistant Secretary of Commerce Arielle Roth and her team at NTIA for their leadership of this complex federal initiative, Vermont’s congressional delegation for their support of this important program, and the Vermont Community Broadband Board for developing and administering Vermont’s approved plan.”
“Congratulations to Vermont on the approval of its BEAD Final Proposal,” said Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and Information and NTIA Administrator Arielle Roth. “Subject to effective oversight, the Green Mountain State is positioned to deliver universal connectivity throughout the state. I look forward to monitoring Vermont’s progress as we work to deliver on the promise of connecting Vermont and the country.”
Projects funded through BEAD will deliver broadband that meets or exceeds the federal performance standard of 100 megabits per second (Mbps) download and 20 Mbps upload. The program provides funding to all U.S. states, territories and the District of Columbia to deploy or upgrade broadband infrastructure and ensure access to reliable, affordable, high-speed internet service. States were required to submit initial and final proposals to NTIA describing how they will use BEAD funds to serve all eligible locations. BEAD requires recipients to finish the work within four years of the grant award.
Paul Fixx serves on the board and executive committee of NEK Community Broadband.
Paul Fixx is editor of The Hardwick Gazette and lives in Hardwick.
