The Vermont Community Broadband Board has approved funding for a statewide program that will help around 2,000 low-income households in remote areas connect to a high speed broadband network.
The board has allocated almost $8 million from its American Rescue Plan Act funding for the Affordable Long Drop program, which will cover the extra costs that households located at the end of long driveways incur.
Generally, homes that are within 400 feet of the high speed fiber cables running along the road can be connected to the network without additional costs.
Homeowners that are farther up a driveway have to pay extra.
"For customers who live far from the road or where the connection to the home is underground, costs above and beyond our standard installation fee can be prohibitive," said Ellie de Villiers, executive director of Maple Broadband, a Addison County communications union district. " I am thrilled that these costs will no longer have to be a barrier to getting people connected."
The board approved the program in April, and asked the state’s communications union districts to apply for the money.
Almost $13 million in requests were received, from seven communications union districts. The board was able to fund a little less than $8 million.
“All of the applications were great,” said Vermont Community Broadband Board digital equity officer Britaney Watson. “And we also knew that we didn’t have the amount of funds to be able to fund all of the requested amounts.”
The largest grants went to EC Fiber, which provides Internet service to 31 towns in central Vermont, and to NEK Broadband, which covers 56 towns in the Northeast Kingdom.
EC Fiber is getting $3 million, which will help connect about 750 homes, while NEK will receive a little over $2 million for more than 400 properties.
"This is great bridge to reach those with low income, and
lower income, to get that connectivity they normally wouldn't be able to do," said Tonya Ozone, director of sales and marketing with NEK Broadband. "We have a lot of folks who are living out in the woods, where it's hard to reach them."
The others CUDs that received funding are DV Fiber, Maple Broadband, Franklin Telephone, Northwest Vermont Communications Union District, and Waitsfield and Champlain Valley Telecom.
