Vermont Community Broadband Board

Vermont Community Broadband Board is encouraging eligible Vermonters to take advantage of the Affordable Long Drop Program, which helps pay the cost of connecting homes to fiber broadband service. Funding for the program is currently scheduled to end in September 2026, creating a limited-time opportunity for Vermonters that have delayed connecting because of installation costs. The Affordable Long Drop Program assists eligible providers to cover the cost of long or nonstandard broadband connections, including underground installations.

Vermont Community Broadband Board congratulates Communications Union District Maple Broadband on launching Nonprofit Connect, a new program offering all 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations in Maple Broadband’s service area in Addison County (VT) access to Gigabit fiber broadband. It’s their fastest internet available, at the provider's lowest price. Qualifying nonprofits can get Maple Broadband's 1 Gbps Amber Bold fiber internet package at the Amber Light rate of $69.95 per month, a savings of $50.00 per month.

The Vermont Community Broadband Board has a new program to help Vermonters afford to get connected to broadband. The Affordable Long Drop Program will provide grants to eligible providers to cover connection costs for long or nonstandard drops, including underground installations. Providers currently pay costs that exceed routine installation fees to connect addresses that are considered standard drops. Those are for houses that are closer than 500-2,000 feet from the fiber that runs along utility poles on the road, depending on the provider.

Vermont Community Broadband Board (VCBB) has preliminary applications from internet service providers (ISPs) to serve nearly every eligible address in the state under Vermont’s Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (VT-BEAD) Program. Vermont’s allocation of BEAD funds is almost $229 million. The applications were from a preliminary round, which was a mandatory step for any ISP seeking VT-BEAD funds for broadband construction.

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.

The Vermont Community Broadband Board (VCBB) awarded $58.9 million in grants to Vermont’s Communications Union Districts (CUDs) in summer 2023. The construction grants were approved to expand broadband in five different CUDs across the state, bringing broadband to at least 13,000 currently underserved homes and businesses. The most recent grants were approved earlier in September 2023.

Vermont’s vision for broadband equity, access, and deployment is that Vermonters— now and in the future—have universal access to reliable, high-quality, affordable, fixed broadband at speeds of at least 100/100 Mbps, and that all Vermonters and institutions have the tools and skills to maximize the value Internet connectivity can offer. This Five-Year Action Plan outlines how Vermont can achieve this vision, what its current state is, the state’s needs and gaps, and its plan for action. The goals of Vermont’s BEAD Five-Year Action Plan are to: