Vermont’s effort to bring high-speed internet to the entire state is getting more support from the federal government.
BEAD, or Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment Program, is a federal grant program to help states and territories deploy or upgrade high speed internet networks. An “Initial Proposal” must be submitted detailing how they will use the BEAD funding to get high-speed Internet access.
U.S Department of Commerce Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and Information and National Telecommunications and Information Administrator Alan Davidson says the goal of Internet for All is to connect everyone to reliable and affordable high-speed internet.
“Thanks to the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law we finally have the resources to do that,” Davidson said. “Last year we told every state and territory how much of our big state grant program, called our BEAD program: Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment, how much of that state grant program they would be allocated. And that included more than $228 million for Vermont. Since then we’ve been working closely with states and territories to receive the proposals about how they’ll use that money and I am thrilled to announce that NTIA has approved Vermont’s BEAD Initial Proposal.”
Davidson says the approval of the plan marks a significant step in Vermont’s efforts to deploy high-speed internet across the state.
“Vermont can now move from planning to action. It means that the state can begin the process of selecting sub-grantees who are going to ultimately build these reliable affordable networks and connect everybody in the state. And most importantly it means that the state can now request access to that $228 million that NTIA has allocated,” explained Davidson.
Davidson characterized Vermont’s proposal as sophisticated and high-quality.
Vermont Commissioner of Public Service June Tierney says it also shows how the state has taken a democratized approach to broadband buildout.
“We heavily involve our communities and community leaders through the Communications Union District model that we’re using so that people who live in their communities are having a massive say in what their infrastructure for connectivity is going to look like and where it’s going to go, how much will be spent on it, etc. We have a group of board members who come to us with very deep knowledge about how public utilities services work and what the need is for reliable, affordable services,” said Tierney
Vermont Community Broadband Board Executive Director Christine Hallquist says it’s exciting to be able to move from planning to action.
“We’re very happy that we were able to get Vermont values built into the plan. And of course, our goal is to get to a universal service plan,” Hallquist said. “But this plan ensures all public utilities can participate and it really incorporates the Vermont values, the values of the Governor, the Legislature and the 428 volunteers working across the state. So it’s safe to say that we’re half way there with the work that’s been done prior to this and this funding will get us the rest of the way.”
Vermont Community Broadband Board Director of Rural Broadband Projects Alexei Monsarrat says with this approval they can now begin reviewing bids from providers.
“We’ll be doing that over the course of the fall and into the winter,” Monsarrat said. “It will depend somewhat on what those proposals look like, what negotiations may be necessary as we work through them. But hoping to begin rolling out funds in the first quarter of next year.”
Vermont must submit a final proposal in one year detailing the bidding process and grant distribution and updating how universal coverage has been implemented.
