Current News

The Vermont Telecommunications Authority (VTA) is seeking public input on issues affecting high-speed internet coverage in Vermont, and how the VTA can best support broadband expansion using state funds appropriated in its FY2012 capital appropriation. In addition to comments related to broadband generally, comments specifically on expansion of fiber optic facilities are also being solicited.
The state has a goal of statewide cellular and broadband availability by the end of 2013, and the state authority that is charged with making investments of state dollars to help achieve this goal is the Vermont Telecommunications Authority (VTA). The Legislature recently passed the 2012-2013 Capital Bill which provided the VTA with $10 million to advance both cellular and broadband infrastructure.

To celebrate the talented writers, crew and actors behind arguably television’s funniest television program, today, Ben & Jerry’s launched its newest limited-batch flavor, Schweddy Balls. The flavor is an ode to the classic ‘Saturday Night Live’ sketch [viewable at www.benjerry.com] starring Ana Gasteyer and Molly Shannon, as hosts of the ‘Delicious Dish,’ a National Public Radio program parody, along with Alec Baldwin as Pete Schweddy, the fictional owner of Season’s Eatings Bakery.

FairPoint Communications, Inc (NasdaqCM: FRP) today announced plans to reduce its workforce over the next several months by approximately 400 positions. Vermont will lose 55 jobs, New Hampshrie will lose 190 and Maine 130. Another 25 positions will be let go in other states.
"We value the contributions of our employees and workforce reductions are never easy," said CEO Paul Sunu. "We are making this decision after careful evaluation to ensure that FairPoint is staffed appropriately to serve our customers well, while prudently managing expenses."
Both management and union employees will be affected across the company. The company intends to notify approximately 100 affected management employees later this month and will follow prescribed steps in the collective bargaining agreement covering union employees. FairPoint has declared an employee surplus affecting approximately 300 union positions.

Construction upgrades to 16.9 miles of Vermont Electric Cooperative’s (VEC) transmission system located in the towns of Jay, Westfield and Lowell began this week. The project will replace part of the electric grid that is more than 40 years old and in need of improvement to ensure reliability and safety throughout the northern tier of VEC’s service territory.
Further driving the need associated with this upgrade is an increased demand for electricity in this area. Electric load growth in area communities has increased by 10 percent during the past decade. Jay Peak’s demand has grown and with a high level of future economic growth projected, the increased demand for electricity will be dramatic.

The Associated General Contractors of Vermont (AGC/VT) is partnering with the Regional Planning Commissions to connect the state’s cities and towns with contractors, materials and equipment for critical reconstruction projects in the wake of Tropical Storm Irene.
AGC/VT is a statewide contractor association with more than 150 members representing road and highway contractors, bridge contractors, commercial builders and quarries, as well as engineers and architects.
‘All of these skills will be needed as we rebuild,’ said Cathy Voyer, Executive Vice President of AGC/VT. ‘While the State of Vermont has already mounted an impressive response, many of the towns that can usually call on state construction resources are now on their own to solicit bids and materials. We at AGC/VT decided to help by acting as a clearing house to connect towns and contractors quickly.’

The US Small Business Administration announced today that certain Private Non-Profit Organizations (PNPs) in Vermont that do not provide critical services of a governmental nature may be eligible to apply for low interest rate disaster loans. These loans are available as a result of a Presidential disaster declaration for Public Assistance resulting from damages caused by Tropical Storm Irene beginning August 27th.
PNPs located in the following counties that provide non-critical services are eligible to apply: Addison,Bennington, Caledonia, Chittenden, Essex, Franklin, Lamoille, Orange, Orleans, Rutland, Washington,Windham, and Windsor. Examples of eligible non-critical PNP organizations include, but are not limited to, food kitchens, homeless shelters, museums, libraries, community centers, schools and colleges.

In response to the damages inflicted on the state of Vermont in the aftermath of Hurricane Irene, The Paramount Theatre, in a partnership with I Am Vermont Strong, (a campaign developed to raise funds, awareness and spirits as a result of Hurricane Irene) is announcing that a portion of the proceeds of the 3 scheduled September concerts at The Paramount Theatre are now going to directly benefit victims of the recent devastation ($5/ticket purchased after 9/8/11). The 3 concerts, featuring Blues Traveler (9/23), George Thorogood and The Destroyers (9/24) and Keb Mo (9/27), are now all a part of the I Am Vermont Strong Benefit Concert Series.

Comcast is lending a helping hand in support of its customers and employees in Vermont affected by the aftermath of Tropical Storm Irene. Comcast delivered 100 generators, gasoline and bottled water valued at more than $100,000 to the local Red Cross in Clarendon, Vermont.
Comcast is a national telecommunications firm and the largest cable television company serving Vermont.
Pictured (l to r): Representative Patti Komline, Tuck Rainwater, Comcast Director of Government and Community Relations for Vermont, Senator Peg Flory and Senator Bill Carris.

Governor Peter Shumlin today appointed Neale Lunderville to oversee state recovery efforts following Tropical Storm Irene. Lunderville, who served as Secretary of Administration and Secretary of Transportation under Governor Jim Douglas, will take a leave from his current position at Green Mountain Power.
In the post, Lunderville will spearhead efforts to assist families and businesses, restore communities, and rebuild infrastructure damaged by Tropical Storm Irene’s record flooding and high winds. He will facilitate major recovery efforts currently underway across Vermont between state agencies and departments, federal disaster response, and local authorities and organizations.

By Senator Bernie Sanders
The state of Vermont has been hit with one of the worst natural disasters in our history. Lives have been lost. Vermonters throughout the state have seen their homes, businesses and farms suffer terrible damage. Hundreds of roads, bridges and schools have been damaged or destroyed. Our state office complex in Waterbury, which housed 1,600 workers, is unusable. We’re looking at a cost of hundreds of millions of dollars to rebuild.

In response to the statewide devastation caused by Tropical Storm Irene, Vermont Public Radio will hold a special one-day fundraiser on Tuesday, September 13, to help affected communities rebuild and recover from this natural disaster. Donations received from listeners will benefit the Vermont Disaster Relief Fund.
VPR has been providing in-depth news coverage of the aftermath of and recovery from Tropical Storm Irene since it hit Vermont on August 28th, as well as online resources and information about road closures, volunteer opportunities, and more.

QuorumSoft, a world leading provider of deduplicating archival solutions for virtualized environments, today announced the general availability of Alikeâ ¢ Version 2.1, a new generation solution for Citrix XenServer backup and disaster recovery. Alike v2.1 delivers significant enhancements, including dramatically faster backup performance, more flexible deployment options, and innovative new ways to minimize bandwidth and storage costs.
With Alike v2.1, multiple virtual machines (VMs) can be backed up concurrently, giving XenServer users the ability to scale the solution to meet their unique requirements. Alike v2.1 also includes the ability to backup and replicate a virtual machine in a single pass, choose push or pull replication flow, and other advanced capabilities. To provide companies with the flexibility to balance their resource utilization, QuorumSoft offers the choice of either source-side or target-side deduplication.