Local broadband network gets huge funding boost

Utility lines along the edge of a field off Cox District Road in Woodstock, Vt. (Gareth Henderson Photo)

A local organization that’s been growing its broadband network in central Vermont for over a decade is getting a major funding boost to help its expansion.

ECFiber, a municipal organization operating in east-central Vermont, has secured $11.8 million in funding. That number includes $9 million from municipal bonds and $2.8 million in grant money through the Vermont Community Broadband Board. The majority of the bond money will fund construction of lines in Norwich, Woodstock, Wilder, White River Junction and Quechee, according to an ECFiber press release on Wednesday. Funding from the statewide Broadband Board will pay for expanding ECFiber’s network into eight new towns, which are Topsham, Newbury, Washington, Corinth, Bradford, West Fairlee, Fairlee, and Windsor.

Formed in 2008, ECFiber is a Vermont municipality akin to a water district and consists of 31 member towns, according to the funding announcement. Officially known as the East Central Vermont Telecommunications District, it has no taxing powers and has — since its transition to a communications union district in 2016 — been funded mainly by municipal bonds backed by customer payments for service, ECFiber officials said in the statement. 

“We are the model for how to make world-class broadband available to every home and business on the grid in rural Vermont, infrastructure that is essential to social and economic well-being,” said Board Chair F. X. Flinn. “Investors have shown their appreciation for the work we are doing by paying a premium for our existing debt and competing for our new debt. That said, we will continue to pursue the new grant funding aggressively as we go all out to complete the network.”

Federal money coming to help health care sector

Many Vermont health care providers are seeing an influx of federal cash to help weather the pandemic. 

This week, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services began distributing nearly $46 million to 143 of Vermont’s rural medical providers and suppliers serving Medicaid, Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), and Medicare beneficiaries. 

Awarded under the American Rescue Plan, this funding will provide much-needed relief for Vermont’s rural health care providers, who have struggled under the financial and operational challenges of the pandemic, according to a press release. Senators Patrick Leahy and Bernie Sanders and Congressman Peter Welch played a key role in securing this funding for Vermont, the announcement said. 

This money is part of $7.5 billion in American Rescue Plan Rural payments being distributed nationwide. For more information about the funding, click here.

— Gareth Henderson

Broadband money to benefit multiple Vt. regions

West Woodstock, Vermont. (Gareth Henderson Photo)

When it comes to statewide challenges, broadband is a perennial issue in rural states and money is a consistent obstacle. However, Vermont officials this week announced $9.9 million in federal grants to aid broadband expansion in the state. 

The Vermont Community Broadband Board will issue the grant money to four communications union districts (CUD’s). These volunteer-run municipal organizations are working to improve high-speed broadband access — a need that was hugely exposed in 2020 when many had no choice but to work or learn remotely. 

The grant funding will mainly benefit communities in the Northeast Kingdom and central and southern Vermont. CUD’s receiving funds include the Deerfield Valley Communication Union District in southeastern Vermont ($4,111,318), Maple Broadband in Addison County ($2,399,200), Central Vermont Fiber in Washington County ($2,804,667) and Northwest Communication Union District in northwestern Vermont ($604,376). The grants are for preconstruction costs, including business planning, pole data surveys, and engineering work.

In the Monday announcement, Christine Hallquist, executive director of the state’s Community Broadband Board, praised the teamwork around this issue. 

“Vermonters have been working decades to get broadband to every address in Vermont,” she said. “It is exciting to see that goal within reach. I am so grateful to the hundreds of volunteers, the Legislature, the Administration and the many branches of state government that are working together to make this happen.”

U.S. Rep. Peter Welch told the media at the Monday press conference that the toughest part was yet to come. 

“We did our part to get funds, but you know the hardest part? It’s taking those funds and then in a responsible, careful, effective way to actually get them deployed and get those homes wired,” Welch said. 

Gov. Phil Scott also spoke to the great need for this money, especially given the experiences of the past 18 months. 

“We saw how challenging it was for some families and kids who didn’t have access to broadband when we closed schools and had to resort to remote learning,” Scott said. “We also saw the challenges for working Vermonters who didn’t have access to broadband when we asked them to stay home. Access to broadband is a necessity in the 21st century.”

Grants funding the construction work will be issued early next year. Three of the four groups awarded in this first round of grants plan to start construction in the spring of 2022. 

According to a Pew Research study released in August, seven out of 10 rural Americans say they have a home broadband connection — up from six out of 10 in 2016. The study notes that despite the increase, “rural residents are still less likely than those living in suburban areas to report having home broadband.”

— Gareth Henderson

Gov. Scott meets with Biden; Democrats unveil $3.5T bill

A view from Cabot Road in Woodstock, Vermont. (Gareth Henderson Photo)

Vermont Gov. Phil Scott visited the White House on Wednesday to talk infrastructure with President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris and also state and local leaders.

Scott was among a small bipartisan group of governors and mayors visiting Washington, D.C., who also met with U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo and Secretary of Labor Marty Walsh, Boston's former mayor. The main topic of the day was the Biden administration's Bipartisan Infrastructure Framework, which proposes $1.2 trillion in infrastructure investments. 

In a statement released Wednesday, Scott noted the nation's great infrastructure needs and the importance of uniting around opportunities to address them. 

“As I have long said, smart infrastructure investments are needed to repair America’s roads and bridges, invest in rural broadband and clean energy systems, create good jobs, and secure our economic future,” Scott said. 

The president's proposed framework includes funding for "clean transportation infrastructure, clean water infrastructure, universal broadband infrastructure, clean power infrastructure, remediation of legacy pollution, and resilience to the changing climate," according to the White House. 

The meeting with governors came after Senate Democrats on Tuesday unveiled a $3.5 trillion investment plan that would be in addition to the existing $1.2 trillion infrastructure proposal, Reuters reported. The Senate Democrats' proposal focuses on what Biden has called "human infrastructure", including health care and home care workers. The $3.5 trillion plan would include a substantial expansion of the Medicare program, and further details were expected to be released this week. 

So far, the Senate's 50 Republicans are not expected to back the plan, Reuters said, meaning Democrats may use the budget reconciliation process to pass the bill by a simple majority vote.

— Gareth Henderson

Legislature looks to wrap up broadband bill

The sun breaks through on Gabert Road in Woodstock, Vt. (Gareth Henderson Photo)

A Vermont bill meant to pave the way for broadband expansion is in the final stages of legislative approval.

The state Senate on Tuesday unanimously approved its version of the bill H. 360, which sets a framework for building out Vermont’s broadband network, with a focus on reaching the most remote parts of the state through local efforts. The funding comes from recent relief money in the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA). As of Thursday night, this legislation remained in conference committee, where the House and Senate versions of the bill are being reconciled. Once that’s done, the bill goes to the governor’s desk for possible signing. 

The broadband proposal adds support for Communications Union Districts, local municipally-approved entities which have facilitated more broadband connections in several regions. The legislation also allows small local telecom providers to benefit from the proposal, but they must support universal broadband access to do so, the Brattleboro Reformer reported.

The Senate version of the bill totals $100 million, down from the $150 million proposal the House approved in March. Gov. Phil Scott has expressed disappointment in both amounts, as his administration originally proposed spending $250 million of the ARPA funds on broadband. In a Thursday interview on Vermont Public Radio, Senate President Pro Tempore Becca Balint, of Brattleboro, said “additional monies can and will be appropriated as it becomes clear what investments are needed.” She also noted that the Legislature has 3 ½ years to spend the ARPA money, giving ample time to consider further investments in broadband.

“We have time to figure this out, and I think Vermonters want us to do that,” Balint said. 

At Tuesday’s Senate proceedings, which are still being held on Zoom, Senate Majority Leader Alison Clarkson, of Woodstock, said broadband access has been a top priority during all her 16 years in the Legislature. Now, these federal funds are making significant progress possible, she said. 

“It’s a very exciting moment, and this is something that the pandemic of course has illustrated: the essentialness of this work … for education, health and our economy,” Clarkson said. 

For the entire past year, lawmakers in Vermont and elsewhere have emphasized the great need to increase broadband access, since gaps in that access put many adults and students at a disadvantage during the pandemic. Remote learning and telehealth services became critical in early 2020, as COVID-19 infections rose and millions had to remain home. There are also long-term limitations to business growth without more high-speed broadband connections, lawmakers said. Lack of broadband access has disproportionately impacted low-income Americans, multiple studies have shown.

At the federal level, the U.S. government is now offering some emergency discounts on internet services. Under the Emergency Broadband Benefit program, eligible households can receive a discount of up to $50 per month on their internet bills, and households on qualifying Tribal lands can receive up to $75 per month. Additionally, the program offers low-income families a one-time discount of up to $100 toward the purchase of a laptop, desktop computer, or a tablet. 

— Gareth Henderson

Expanding broadband: A must for equity

A winter scene along Wyman Lane in Woodstock, Vermont. (Gareth Henderson Photo)

With the end of the pandemic more firmly in view, a stubborn economic and education equity issue still looms large and is gaining more of the spotlight. 

Over the past year, inequities in high-speed broadband access — both geographically and economically — have been laid bare due to increased need for remote learning and telehealth services. Moreover, the path to more broadband is also a path to more jobs and sustainable, long-term economic development.

At the federal level, the new $1.9 trillion relief bill aims to help expand high-speed broadband in multiple states — Vermont has $113 million coming for infrastructure aid, including broadband. 

State legislative efforts are becoming prolific in regions from New England to the South and the rural West. A broadband bill is working its way through the Vermont House of Representatives, with a focus on supporting the growth of communications union districts, like ECFiber, which has greatly improved high-speed broadband access in the east-central Vermont region. 

Vermont’s governor, lieutenant governor and state lawmakers have repeatedly noted the broadband issue, the current gap and the need to address it. In a letter to state leaders last week, Vermont Lt. Gov. Molly Gray described the broad impact.

“For the roughly 66,000 Vermont homes and businesses without access to broadband, each day of the pandemic has been a day without equity in access to online learning, remote work, tele-health, mental health and support services, government resources, civic engagement and much more,” Gray said. 

She also noted her support for a bill crafted by U.S. Rep. Peter Welch, of Vermont, which is now part of the $94 billion broadband package introduced by 30 House and Senate Democrats on Thursday. Welch’s focus was providing access to “unserved and underserved households”, and he also set aside some funding specifically for small states.

“The digital divide is real and has only widened since the start of the COVID pandemic,” Welch said in a statement last week. “There is no disputing that fast, reliable broadband service is essential in our modern economy. After a year of remote schooling, online medical appointments, and family Zoom calls, the need for high-speed internet for all Americans is even more clear.” 

Welch is a member of the Broadband Task Force led by House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn, of South Carolina, a key author of the $94 billion plan. Clyburn highlighted broadband as a long-term economic need.

“We’re not going to grow the economy in our communities all across the country without broadband,” he told The Washington Post. “The investments we’re making in this, and the build-out over three to four years, makes this one of the best infrastructure efforts we can undertake today.”

Though it was the pandemic that thrust broadband into the spotlight more than ever, the growing need for this service extends beyond the current crisis. The future of economic development hinges on it, as does access to education. Online learning will change, develop, and expand in the coming years, from the younger grades through college. Telehealth will grow, and connecting to high-speed internet is a clear must-have for businesses. 

Decades ago, the country reached a point where having multiple regions underserved — or untouched — by electrical utilities was simply no longer an option. Broadband is at that point, and the federal funding and legislative efforts at the state level are encouraging. Hopefully, new dollars and new programs can be deployed for everyone’s benefit, especially for those most in need. The great need for broadband access is one lesson from the pandemic that is having an impact on decision-makers. The need has been expressed, not forgotten, and is attracting legislation. That makes it an important moment for the country, and it’s crucial to keep that momentum going. 

Along the way, people may disagree on how to best achieve the goal. But with the renewed focus and steadfast work on this issue, we can take decisive steps to increase access. It appears progress is on the horizon, and broadband is an essential gateway to resources and opportunities — ones that each community needs and deserves.

— Gareth Henderson

Broadband access gets a boost

The lack of high-speed broadband connections in many rural communities came sharply into focus when the pandemic ramped up in March. 

But now, the issue is coming back around with school reopenings on the horizon, and with many still accessing remote health care and teleworking. 

On Wednesday, Vermont Gov. Phil Scott announced $2 million in grants to help consumers extend telecommunications lines to their homes. The Line Extension Customer Assistance Program (LECAP) provides up to $3,000 to each qualifying applicant to cover the customer cost portion of a line extension. Lawmakers approved the program in June in response to the pandemic.

Hundreds of Vermonters live just out of reach of existing high-speed networks and can't afford to extend a line, the governor's announcement noted. The LECAP program seeks to bridge some of those gaps.

“For the teacher or student living at the end of the dirt road with no internet access, the LECAP could be a lifeline,” said June Tierney, Vermont's commissioner of Public Service. “This is a great opportunity for qualifying Vermonters who need broadband service but have not been able to afford the full cost of a line extension.”  

With Congress debating relief packages in the trillions of dollars, $2 million doesn't sound like a lot. But now more than ever, every dollar counts. That's especially true with high-speed broadband access, which is one of today's biggest education access issues.

At the end of March, more than 12 million of the 55 million U.S. students who were sent home for remote learning did not have home broadband access, according to the Brookings Institution. In the same article, the public policy group makes the case for more funding in the next federal relief bill. 

"Congress should appropriate funding to local communities to fill in the 'blind spots' of broadband connectivity for schools," writes Nicol Turner Lee of the Brookings Institution.

Whether or not that happens, virtual learning is a need that will only increase in the future, and at the present moment, it's an urgent need. We can't afford to lose sight of it, with at least partial remote learning being the new reality for many students. The LECAP funding is a step in the right direction, and now is the time for the nation to build on it. 

For details about how to qualify for the LECAP, Vermonters should call the department at 800-622-4496 or visit the LECAP webpage. All line extensions funded through this program must be completed on or before Dec. 30, 2020. Find additional information through the Department of Public Service. 

— Gareth Henderson