CVFiber has achieved a small milestone in our path toward a 1,200-mile fiber network. In late January, we began to hang fiber! This is the second stage in a sequence; the first is hanging steel strand, which provides a stable base for the fiber. When enough strand is in place, the fiber is lashed to the strand. (You can see a 20-minute video showing the process here.)
The work continued at a better-than-expected pace through much of January, but our recent cold snap brought the work to a temporary halt. Strand cannot be hung at temperatures below 20 degrees Fahrenheit; fiber can’t be hung when it’s below 30 degrees. Now that the weather has improved, the crews are back at work.
The buildout continues in Calais. At last report, 5.4 miles of strand and 1.9 miles of fiber had been hung. We believe our first subscribers will be connected in mid-to-late spring. Our goal for 2023 is to build 400 miles, roughly one third of the total network.
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Statehouse Spotlight on Fiber Networks
Tuesday, January 31 was Communications Union District Day at the Vermont Statehouse. Representatives from Vermont’s CUDs and leaders of the Vermont Communications Union District Association (VCUDA) and Vermont Community Broadband Board (VCBB) met with lawmakers and decision makers to make the case for continued state support for universal high-speed broadband. (The VCUDA presentation to lawmakers can be viewed here.)
ECFiber Chair F.X. Flinn delivered a history lesson to the relevant House and Senate committees. He pointed out that Vermont has been charting its own course on Internet access since the early days of dial-up and that ECFiber, founded in 2008, paved the way for a statewide CUD effort.
Windsor County Senator Dick McCormack has seen the growth of ECFiber from the beginning. “Connectivity always struck me as a good idea, and I was surprised to see it actually happen,” he said. “So many things were stacked against them.” ECFiber’s persistence made it possible for state officials to put their trust in the CUD model.
Witnesses spotlighted two areas where the Legislature can help the effort: Broadband workforce, which will be in increasingly short supply as more states launch broadband efforts, and low-cost borrowing mechanisms. So far, federal, state, and local grants have provided roughly one-third of the estimated total cost of Vermont’s entire broadband project. Some additional federal funding is expected to come through, but NEK Broadband Executive Director Christa Shute told lawmakers that grants are likely to account for about half the total cost. Much of the rest will have to be borrowed. For the sake of affordability, Flinn said, the CUDs will need access to “municipal revenue bonds or other low-interest instrumentalities.”
The CUD group received a very positive response. Broadband is a critical issue for many Vermonters and a top priority for rural lawmakers. If you’re concerned about universal broadband, it never hurts to contact your representative or senator. You can find your lawmakers’ contact information here: https://legislature.vermont.gov/