Broadband Efforts in Vermont Communities

Here are some of the broadband efforts in Vermont communities that have happened or are still in progress.

Ascutney Area

The Southern Windsor County Regional Planning Commission, working with the towns of Reading and West Windsor, sponsored a project to bring broadband service to the area. The Commission has selected WaveComm to provide a wireless broadband service, and that service is now available to many parts of these two towns. If you live in Reading or West Windsor and are interested in obtaining this service, please go to www.WaveComm.com. The towns of Reading and West Windsor are also participating in the ECFiber Project to explore bringing fiber to every home in the region.

Brandon

The Brandon Area Chamber of Commerce completed a survey of local businesses to ascertain their need for broadband, and has successfully worked with Verizon to bring DSL to the town center, and FairPoint continues to offer this service. If you still need broadband in the Brandon area, please use the Statewide Registry and you will be put in contact with the Brandon effort.

Calais

Calais formed a local project committee to address broadband issues and completed a survey of local broadband demand. They joined other area towns to support a wireless system from the Cloud Alliance.

Chelsea

The Chelsea Economic Development Committee is coordinating efforts to bring broadband service to Chelsea. They are working with other local towns to create a regional broadband solution. For more information on the Chelsea broadband activities, contact the Committee at webmaster @ chelseavt.org. The Chelsea Economic Development Committee is working with other area towns on the ECFiber Project.

Dummerston

The Dummerston Selectboard sponsored a survey to determine broadband demand in the town, and community members worked with committees from Marlboro, Newfane and Putney to explore broadband options for the entire area. For more information on the broadband initiative in Dummerston, contact the Dummerston Selectboard.

Duxbury

With limited cable and DSL service, many sections of Duxbury have no broadband options. The Citizens for Duxbury Broadband are exploring broadband options for the unserved neighbors.

East-Central Vermont

Over a dozen towns in the east-central region of Vermont have banded together to explore building a fiber network to bring broadband and other services to the area. For more information on this project, please go to ECFiber Project.

East Montpelier

The Town of East Montpelier sponsored a project to bring broadband service to the town. They joined other area towns to support a wireless system from the Cloud Alliance.

Fairlee/West Fairlee

FAIRband.net is a community effort to bring broadband communications to ALL residents of the towns of Fairlee and West Fairlee, Vermont. The goal is to make fiberoptic cable available to all residential and commercial locations in the two towns and to offer high-speed internet, digital telephone and digital television services in cooperation with a local vendor of these services.

Fletcher

The Fletcher Select Board is pursuing broadband options for the town.

Glover

The Glover Planning Commission sponsored a survey of broadband demand in the town, and some parts of town now have wireless broadband service from adjoining towns.

Grand Isle/South Hero

Grand Isle and South Hero residents formed Grand Isle Broadband Project to bring better broadband service to the island of Grand Isle and surrounding areas. Currently, FairPoint offers DSL in some sections of Grand Isle and South Hero, and GlobalNet offers wireless service on the island.

Granville

The Town of Granville is exploring multiple avenues for increasing broadband coverage in the town, including wireless, DSL and fiber, and is participating in the ECFiber Project. For more information on the progress of broadband in Granville, please contact Cheryl Sargeant at csargeant @ madriver.com.

Greensboro

Greensboro residents formed a project to bring broadband service to Greensboro and surrounding areas. They selected WirelessVT to bring wireless broadband service to the town, and that service has been available in Greensboro since July 2005.

Island Pond

Island Pond had a committee exploring broadband options but the committee is no longer active. However, there are now multiple options for broadband service in the area.

Jericho

The Town of Jericho pursued a fiber network with neighboring towns Underhill and Westford, but that project is current on hold.

Lamoille County

The Lamoille Economic Development Corporation and the Lamoille County Planning Commission worked toward a goal of having affordable broadband service for every home and business in the county. They assisted local towns in targeted efforts to attract broadband providers. Both Elmore and Johnson formed broadband committees.

Lowell

The town of Lowell has sponsored a project to bring broadband service to the town. There is now wireless broadband available in some parts of Lowell from Great Auk Wireless. If you live in the Lowell area please register with the NEK Broadband Project.

Lunenburg

The Town of Lunenburg sponsored a project to bring broadband service to the town, but still has limited service. If you live in the Lunenburg area please register with the NEK Broadband Project.

Marlboro

Marlboro residents formed a committee, and worked with committees from Newfane, Dummerston and Putney to explore broadband options for the area. There is now wireless broadband available in some parts of town from Great Auk Wireless.

Marshfield/Plainfield

The Marshfield/Plainfield Community Internet Project spearheaded efforts in the towns of Marshfield and Plainfield. The Marshfield-Plainfield committee selected the Cloud Alliance to build a wireless broadband service for the towns. Service is now available to many locations.

Newark

Citizens from Newark have formed a local project committee to address broadband issues and are surveying the demand for a local broadband service. If you live in the Newark area and need broadband please register with the Newark Broadband Project.

Newfane

The Newfane Selectboard sponsored a survey to determine broadband demand in the town, and community members worked with committees from Marlboro, Dummerston and Putney to explore broadband options for the area.

Northeast Kingdom

The Northeast Kingdom Collaborative is sponsoring the NEK Broadband Project to bring additional broadband services into the rural areas of Caledonia, Essex and Orleans counties. There are now several broadband options within the NEK. Contact the project for additional information about these options.

Pownal

Although some sections of Pownal have broadband service available through Comcast Cable, there are many residents beyond the cable route. The Pownal Broadband Committee surveyed the unserved residents, and discovered that many of these could get data service through Verizon Wireless.

Putney

Putney residents formed a committee, and worked with committees from Newfane, Dummerston and Marlboro to explore broadband options for the area, but these committees are now inactive.

Ripton

The community of Ripton has formed a cooperative to provide wireless broadband service to the town, using a grant from the Vermont Broadband Council and facilities donated by Middlebury College.

Royalton

The Planning Commission from Royalton formed a local citizens’ committee to address broadband issues and surveyed the demand for a local broadband service. The Royalton Planning Commission is working with other area towns on the ECFiber Project.

Rupert

Citizens from Rupert have formed a local project committee to address broadband issues and surveyed the demand for a local broadband service. FairPoint has now implemented DSL for some sections of Rupert.

Sandgate

A local committee has formed in Sandgate to find vendors who will bring high-speed internet access to the town. For more information about this project please read Sandgate Project Update.

Stamford

Stamford formed a local project committee to address broadband issues and created a co-operative to provide wireless broadband service to the town. For more information, visit the Southern Vermont Broadband Coop .

Strafford

Citizens from Strafford formed a local project committee to address broadband issues and surveyed the demand for a local broadband service. Some of the town now has wireless broadband service from WaveComm. The Strafford Broadband Committee is working with other area towns on the ECFiber Project.

Thetford

Citizens from Thetford formed a project to address broadband issues and surveyed the demand for a local broadband service. The Thetford Broadband Committee is currently working with other area towns on the ECFiber Project.

Tunbridge

Citizens from Tunbridge formed a local project committee to address broadband issues and surveyed the demand for a local broadband service. The Tunbridge Broadband Project is working with other area towns on the ECFiber Project.

Underhill

The Town of Underhill formed a Broadband Taskforce to explore options for increasing broadband coverage, and pursued a fiber network with neighboring towns Jericho and Westford. This fiber effort is currently on hold.

Vershire

The Vershire Selectboard appointed a Telecommunications Committee to study the feasibility of improving the telecommunications services in Vershire, including broadband service. The Vershire Telecommunications Committee is working with other area towns on the ECFiber Project.

Westford

The Westford High Speed Internet Committee has a project underway to acquire broadband services in Westford. Westford was working with the neighboring towns of Underhill and Jericho to bring fiber-based broadband to these towns, but this project is currently on hold. Both Comcast Cable and FairPoint have announced plans for expanded service in Westford, and GlobalNet provides wireless service for part of the town.

Westmore

The Town of Westmore sponsored a project to bring high-speed Internet service to the town and selected Island Pond Wireless to build a wireless broadband service. The Island Pond Wireless (now part of Great Auk Wireless) service has been available to Westmore residents since September 2005.

Windham

The northern half of the Town of Windham has DSL service available through VTEL, but the southern half of the town has no high-speed Internet service. A local committee is trying to bring broadband to the area. If you live in Windham or the adjoining towns and need broadband, please register at the Windham Broadband Project. There is also considerable interest in broadband in other parts of Windham County.

Worcester – Middlesex

Citizens from Worcester and Middlesex formed a local project committee to address broadband issues. They joined other central Vermont area towns to support a wireless system from the Cloud Alliance, but most of the town still does not have broadband. The committee has now disbanded.