More than 2,000 miles of fiber-optic cable is ready to be installed across Vermont over the next two years as state leaders continue their push to bring high-speed internet to all corners of the state.
Through a public-private partnership, the Vermont Community Broadband Board, Vermont State Employees Credit Union, Vermont Community Foundation and Vermont’s Communication Union Districts Association spent nearly $7 million to purchase the material.
Vermont Community Broadband Board Deputy Director Robert Fish said at a Monday news conference that the 2,000 miles of cable will supply construction through 2022 and part of 2023.
The state received $100 million from Congress’s recent $1 trillion infrastructure package to expand and improve broadband access.
The purchase comes at a vital point in time, Fish said. With the federal government injecting billions of dollars into expanding broadband across the country and supply chain crunches being felt nationwide, the demand for and cost of fiber-optic cable has shot through the roof.
The purchase announced Monday saved Vermont nearly $2 million, according to Fish. With the raw materials on hand, now the greatest hurdle facing the state is recruiting a large enough workforce to build out the infrastructure.
Christine Hallquist, the executive director of the Vermont Community Broadband Board, in a Monday news release called on the state Legislature to step in and help incentivize Vermonters to enter the field.
The concerted push to expand broadband comes at a turning point in American culture. Remote work is now standard for many Americans thanks to the coronavirus pandemic, and many students rely on the internet to complete their schoolwork. Internet access is becoming increasingly necessary to fully participate in society and the economy.
Building out broadband infrastructure is not easy in a rural state like Vermont. The cable purchase is one step in the process.
“We’re on schedule. We have an army of volunteers and dedicated staff working on this project,” said Will Anderson, a program coordinator at Vermont’s Communication Union Districts Association. “We intend to complete this unprecedented effort and get every Vermonter connected to affordable internet within a five-year window.”
