The Public Service Department, pursuant to Act 41 of 2015, has taken over the assets and responsibilities formerly held by the Vermont Telecommunication Authority (VTA), which was officially dissolved on June 30. Broadband deployment initiatives will be spearheaded by connectivity specialists within the newly reorganized Division of Telecommunications and Connectivity. Division staff will oversee build-out and completion of federal and state-funded broadband projects, including the recent $963,350 Connectivity Initiative grants awarded by the Department in anticipation of this transition. Comcast, ECFiber, and FairPoint, will use grants awarded by the Department through the Connectivity Initiative to expand broadband internet to underserved areas in Vermont.
Public Service Commissioner Christopher Recchia stated, “The Department is excited to be once again on the frontlines of broadband deployment. The Telecommunications and Connectivity division team are poised to take the work of the VTA to the next level, with the goal to ensure Vermonters have access to high speed internet even in the most remote corners of the state.”
A primary focus of the Telecommunications and Connectivity division will be on fostering public-private partnerships to leverage the State’s myriad fiber assets, and identify cost-effective and efficient ways to bring fiber from the “middle mile” to the home.
When Governor Shumlin took office in January 2011, his goal was to bring broadband to every address in Vermont. Today, 99.8 percent of Vermont has broadband.
Source: Public Service Department 7.1.2015