Vermont Business Magazine CVFiber, the communications union district representing 20 municipalities in Central Vermont, has launched a community engagement campaign to assess the needs of 4,500 underserved homes and businesses. The locally-owned and governed community network has teamed up with the Vermont company Last Mile Community Connections, LLC, to conduct a survey of residents prior to rolling out 129 miles of fiber in 2021.
“The COVID-19 pandemic has greatly exposed the need for reasonably priced, high speed broadband to our communities,” said CVFiber Board Member David Healy. “Bringing fast internet to these towns will promote economic development, employment opportunities and increased property values.”
The survey will primarily be conducted over the phone or residents can access it themselves through a link on the CVFiber website. A high response rate will help improve funding opportunities for the nonprofit, which hopes to offer affordable service over 310 miles in the coming years. “High speed internet is no longer a luxury, it’s a necessity,” said CVFiber Project Manager Tim Shea. “In addition to the thousands of Vermonters now working remotely, educators need it to teach and students need it to learn.”
Last Mile Community Connections, LLC will be making phone calls and doing literature drops throughout the month of December. The company will use all in-state workers in full compliance with state Covid-19 safety guidelines.
“Our success depends on the participation of residents and businesses,” said Healy. “Without your help, the network cannot become a reality. We need your response to this to identify your needs and interest in supporting these efforts.”
The survey can be found at www.cvfiber.net/survey
Source: BERLIN, VT - CVFiber 12.8.2020