Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
General Questions:
- A Vermont CUD, or Communications Union District, is a unique kind of Vermont municipality governed by a board of delegates, each appointed by the member towns’ selectboards. The job of a CUD is to facilitate the development of community-owned Internet services. Ours is called CVFiber and it comprises 20 communities in Central Vermont.
- CVFiber’s sole aim is to help residents and organizations of the district gain access to fast, reliable Internet service with a goal of a minimum 100/100 Mbps (symmetrical) service. Our focus is on providing that access to members of the community who lack good options and service today.
- The State of Vermont enacted the legislation that enables CUDs with the goal of ensuring that underserved broadband areas could get access to high-speed internet. The commercial providers in our region long ago determined they could not get a return on investing in rural areas. Vermont has made a significant initial investment of American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds to help build this municipally owned infrastructure. There is additional funding from the federal Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act that will further help further construct our network.
Barre City, Barre Town, Berlin, Cabot, Calais, Duxbury, East Montpelier, Marshfield, Middlesex, Montpelier, Moretown, Northfield, Orange, Plainfield, Roxbury, Washington, Waterbury, Williamstown, Woodbury, Worcester. Because Consolidated Communications has existing fiber service in Barre, Montpelier and parts of the neighboring towns, we will not be building in these locations in the short-term. Providing service at a later date may be possible.
No. Our operating and construction expenses will be funded through grants and monthly service fees paid by subscribers, and there may be other funding vehicles, but your taxes will not fund the network.
Public or community ownership means that the public has some measure of self-determination over the network. Much as the water department is accountable to the public and therefore does not raise water rates unreasonably, those running the network are accountable to the public.
CVFiber is a nonprofit municipal district. Cities or towns in the district are not liable for debt and are not responsible for maintaining the infrastructure. CVFiber might own the infrastructure outright or partner with other organizations to do so
Yes! Just to the south of us, another CUD—called ECFiber—already provides extremely high-speed Internet service to 24 member towns.
Our service plans will be available on our website shortly.
Fiber networks are nearly future proof. The speeds capable via fiber networks are still increasing with new electrical and optical technologies. The attached equipment may evolve, but the fiber itself has a life measured in decades. Though other technologies may come along, fiber networks will always be extremely fast and uniquely reliable.
Most telecom and cable companies have some fiber as parts of their network, but they do not typically connect residential customers to the network with fiber. So while other providers may run fiber to your neighborhood, they typically connect the last mile with slower copper wires that create a bottleneck, resulting in slower speeds that leave us less competitive in a world increasingly requiring faster speeds. Non fiber-to-the-premises networks cannot offer the same experience or guarantee the same high level of service that a true community fiber network offers.
Symmetric connections mean they have the same download speeds as upload speeds. This means that you can send a file to someone else just as fast as you could get it from them. Asymmetric connections tend to offer much slower upload speeds, which can slow usage of the modern Internet to a crawl and negatively impact activities like video calls, gaming, telehealth, and business data needs. Very slow upload speeds can negatively impact download speeds. Both cable and DSL networks are not symmetrical by design.
Symmetrical high-speed internet connectivity refers to internet service that provides equal upload and download speeds, meaning you can both send and receive data at the same high speed. This type of connectivity is becoming increasingly important for many reasons, including:
Improved productivity: With symmetrical high-speed internet, you can upload and download large files quickly and efficiently, making it easier to work remotely or collaborate with others.
Enhanced online experiences: With high-speed upload and download speeds, you can enjoy streaming video, online gaming, and video conferencing without lag or buffering.
Reliable connection: A symmetrical connection is more reliable than an asymmetrical one, where the upload speed is much slower than the download speed. This can result in a poor online experience, especially when uploading large files or participating in real-time activities like video conferencing.
Better for businesses: For businesses, symmetrical high-speed internet is essential for data backup, cloud computing, and hosting websites and email servers. It allows for real-time collaboration and remote work.
Increased satisfaction: With symmetrical high-speed internet, you can enjoy a better overall online experience, which can lead to increased satisfaction and a higher quality of life.
In conclusion, symmetrical high-speed internet connectivity is becoming increasingly important for individuals and businesses alike, offering benefits such as improved productivity, enhanced online experiences, reliable connections, better support for businesses, and increased satisfaction.
Yes. We will never block or throttle traffic or sell your user data.
Many contractors are needed to build our community-owned broadband network, over the course of months and years. This is for the make-ready process, engineering and related tasks. See more detail here: https://cvfiber.net/building-broadband/
Service Questions:
There are some areas within CVFiber’s service area that are scheduled to be under construction now and in the near future. Go to: www.cvfiber.net. Input your address and follow the instructions to get updates about our progress.
CVFiber is working with a Vermont organization, Equal Access to Broadband, with the goal of making high-speed Internet available to every person in our community towns, regardless of income. We also strive to educate our members on device use and other technology. There will be a $30 subsidy available, plus additional subsidies available to qualified subscribers. CVFiber is also exploring community-based options for neighbors helping neighbors. Town ARPA contributions may help to contribute additional fees to subscribers in need. Affordable Internet is at the crux of CVFiber’s goal as a community Internet provider.
If you are in our current service area, we can connect you more easily if you already have an aerial drop (connection) for your existing services with a line from the nearest fiber-connected utility pole to your premises of 400 feet or less. Connection will usually occur within a few weeks following sign-up after service is available in your area. If you require an underground connection, or if you have a drop longer than 400 feet, either underground or aerial, this process will take longer.
No. If your power is aerial, your fiber will also be aerial. If a buried service is required due to the locality or another reason, the customer will be responsible for the buried conduit.
A Non-standard connection is when the distance from your premises to the CVFiber lines is over 400 feet. There is a charge of $1 per foot for additional footage aerial or underground, after 400 feet. Most served locations will be aerial. If buried service is necessary, you may hire a contractor to bury your conduit, and CVFiber has local contractors listed on its website; you are encouraged to talk to more than one contractor. See more detail here: https://cvfiber.net/conduit-specs/
It is CVFiber’s goal to serve every underserved address (defined by the state as any wired location with less than 25Mbps/3Mbps service) within its member towns. The first part of our buildout is to on-grid customers of Washington Electric Co-op, Green Mountain Power, and Hardwick Electric. Robust power is needed for Internet, however off-grid power sources may be enough, depending on the configuration. However, building to off-grid locations will come at a later part of the scheduled build.
Seasonal subscribers may request a pause in their service for a specified period and the monthly fee will not be charged for that period. Equipment may remain in the home. There will be a reconnect fee upon recommencement of the service.
What level of service is right for you depends on how you will use the Internet. Subscription and Retail offerings for suggestions based on your usage will be available on our website shortly.
CVFiber will need to place a new device called an optical network terminal (“ONT”) on the outside of your home or business. This may or may not be where the old connection was, depending upon several factors. We will install indoor devices, such as a router, connected to the ONT and a separate power source will also need to be placed inside your home or business. If you want additional WiFi extenders or would like a WiFi mesh system, we will install at cost. A visit will be required to assess any special requirements for your location.
Our installation technician will perform a basic configuration of the router to get you up and going. The technician will ensure that a wireless device (such as a laptop or smartphone) can connect to the wireless router and get Internet.