The Senate is set to vote Tuesday on a bill that would dissolve the Vermont Telecommunications Authority and turn over $8.3 million in assets to the Department of Public Service.
In its place, the Department of Public Service would create a Division of Telecommunications and Connectivity and a Telecommunications and Connectivity Advisory Board that would oversee broadband buildout. The department already regulates landline phone services.
The Vermont Telecommunications Authority would sunset on July 1. Since its inception in 2007, the VTA has given broadband grants to companies such as FairPoint and ECFiber. It generates revenue by renting out infrastructure.
The House version of H.117 was narrowly focused on creating the new division. The bill expanded substantially in the Senate.
The Senate Finance Committee passed an amendment to turn the Enhanced 911 Board, which has managed 911 services in Vermont since the 1990s, into an advisory board. The E911 duties would be turned over to the Department of Public Safety. The amendment will be introduced on the Senate floor Tuesday.
