Marjorie Ray

Funds Added as VCBB Completes Distribution of Nearly $245M from ARPA 

Montpelier, Vermont – Vermont Community Broadband Board (VCBB) is pleased to announce the availability of $8 million in additional funds for the state’s broadband buildout. The money is interest earned on initial American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) money that the General Assembly entrusted to the Vermont Community Broadband Fund. VCBB will be developing proposals on the best use of the $8 million for the Board’s consideration in the near future. 

“The VCBB is excited for this additional $8 million in funds. The Board and staff will work carefully and extensively with partners to leverage these funds to ensure the sustainability, affordability, and longevity of Vermont’s community broadband expansion efforts enacted under Act 71,” said VCBB Board Chair Patty Richards. 

These funds come shortly after VCBB has awarded nearly all of the state’s ARPA Capital Projects Fund (CPF) funds to Vermont Communications Union Districts (CUDs) and internet service providers. $241 million has now been granted to fulfill Universal Service Plans and ensure that every Vermonter has access to broadband. All of Vermont’s CUDs have now received construction funds. 

“Vermonters are seeing tremendous progress. We’ve already funded service to more than 30,000 homes and businesses, and we won’t stop until everyone in the state is connected. These additional funds will be used to help provide access for struggling Vermonters,” said VCBB Executive Director Christine Hallquist.

The most recent grants were awarded this fall to Maple Broadband, Waitsfield and Champlain Valley Telecom (WCVT), NEKCV, and Chittenden County CUD. NEKCV was granted $4.3 million in ARPA funds, as well as $21 million in funds to match federal grants. 

“The latest grants from the VCBB will enable NEK Community Broadband dba NEKCV to leverage additional future federal dollars. The VCBB has provided the foundational support that has enabled our communications union district to build public infrastructure in over 50 towns, offer service to over 6,000 addresses with thousands more being able to access service within the next few months, and serve over 1,200 customers with fiber optic based symmetrical speeds up to 2 gig a bit per second,” said NEKCV Executive Director Christa Shute. 

Chittenden County CUD was awarded $2.1 million, and WCVT was awarded $600,000. ARPA CPF provided $10 billion in federal funds to states and territories for critical capital projects that enable work, education, and health monitoring in response to the pandemic. 

The next major federal funding opportunity for broadband is the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program. Vermont has been allocated $229 million, which will be awarded to internet service providers next year after a competitive bid process. VCBB is confident that the funding will be enough to finish Vermont’s broadband buildout. 

For more information about the Broadband Construction Grant Program and to see a list of grantees, go to the VCBB funding dashboard.

Island Pond, VT – NEK Community Broadband dba NEKCV, a communications union district in northeast and central Vermont held an event on October 30th to celebrate four major grant awards: two from the United States Department of Agriculture Rural Development (USDA-RD) and two from the Vermont Communications Broadband Board.  

Sarah Waring, USDA State Director for Rural Development (RD) in Vermont and New Hampshire, announced that NEK Broadband, in a highly competitive national competition, was awarded $2,847,276 through the USDA Community Connect Grant program to bring fiber-optic high speed internet, to every unserved address in Groton, Vermont.  The town of Groton qualified for the grant because no residential address had 10 Mbps service, soon they will have access to service that includes symmetrical upload and download speeds of 100 Mbps to 2 Gigabit per second.  NEK Broadband won this grant for Groton based on an outpouring of support including more than 30 letters of support from businesses, municipal organizations, agencies, and other partners and supporters from across the region and state. Also, over 40 residents have expressed interest in potentially volunteering for at least one hour a week to help staff & support the Community Center/HUB that will be established under the grant. 

The announcement was made at a celebration event held at the NEK Broadband warehouse in Island Pond, VT, to mark the first customer to receive service as a result of a $17,463,911 USDA ReConnect grant awarded to bring service to every town in Essex County and towns in eastern Orleans and eastern Caledonia county.  Christa Shute, Executive Director of NEK Broadband, stated that the design and field collection across the 25 towns is well under way and the construction of the 351 mile project is scheduled to start in the first quarter of 2025 and last through 2026.  

Shute remarked, “The USDA-RD has been and remains a critical source of funding to help fulfill our mission of bringing service to the many thousands of unserved in our 71 town district. The areas served by these two grants represent a large portion of the district that has less than six people per mile.“  NEK Broadband’s first customer under this ReConnect grant stated: “Now that NEK Broadband has been installed, we can not only work from home without any concerns about connectivity and speed, but we can turn our home into a smart home for the energy savings and security we want, connect with friends and family, and do so many more things that were previously unavailable to us before this upgrade.” 

“We are thrilled to partner with NEK Broadband to make high-speed internet a reality for communities that have waited too long for adequate service,” said Waring. “This investment in rural broadband is critical to ensuring that all Vermonters have the tools to succeed, especially in today’s digital economy.”

Senator Peter Welch joined Sarah Waring and Christa Shute, NEK Broadband’s executive director, at the announcement ceremony. The senator is Chair of the Rural Development and Energy Subcommittee. “The last few years have shown all of us how important high-speed broadband is. From online school and remote work to telemedicine, a good connection is essential,” said Senator Welch. 

“Receipt of the Community Connect Grant is collective testament to our residents, town officials, and regional & state organizations coming together to collaboratively address the fundamental need of getting broadband to the region,” added Michael Gaiss, Groton’s primary representative on the Governing Board of NEK Broadband. “This critical investment will significantly impact the livelihoods, health, and public safety of our rural community for years to come.”

According to a Groton community survey about the potential benefits of having high-speed internet, completed in 2023, having the ability to work from home more frequently and effectively was a need indicated by many residents. Survey respondents embraced new opportunities that would be available for students: utilizing online learning platforms for advanced placement, broader curriculum choices, and earning college credits. Access to telehealth resources was important to many others. 

Rob Fish, Deputy Director of the VCBB announced at the event two recent grant awards to NEK Broadband approved by the board on September 30th.  The first is an additional $4 million construction grant and the second is a $21 million grant to be used as a match for, and contingent upon, a Broadband Equity Access and Deployment (BEAD) grant.  The pre-application for BEAD grants opens late this year with the final application deadline in the spring of 2025.  While it will still be a number of years before the entire project is complete, this latest grant funding will, according to Shute, serve the areas most in need and is critical to the overall success of the project. 

###

About NEK Community Broadband dba NEKCV

NEK Community Broadband dba NEKCV is a community-driven organization working to ensure every resident across 71 towns in northeast and central Vermont with utility service has access to high-speed internet with speeds up to 2 gigabits per second. Affordable internet is central to creating greater economic prosperity and educational opportunities. The communications union district is committed to investing profits into the network, increasing affordability and supporting digital access and literacy.