Vermont Telecommunications and Connectivity Advisory Board to Meet May 21, 2020 to Discuss the Department of Public Service Draft Emergency Broadband Action Plan for Public Comment
Montpelier, VT – The Vermont Telecommunications and Connectivity Advisory Board will hold its monthly meeting on May 21 from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. This meeting will be conducted as a Skype webcast and teleconference, in accordance with changes to the Vermont Open Meeting Law made in response to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Members of the public are encouraged to join the meeting.
Options to join include using the following weblink: https://meet.lync.com/vermontgov-vermont/clay.purvis/7ZLPCM4F or join by telephone by calling (802) 552-8456. The Conference Number is: 156 203 760 (followed by the “#” sign).
The Department of Public Service will present the Draft for Public Comment of its Emergency Broadband Action Plan. The draft plan lays out a strategy and action steps for how to get internet service to the nearly 70,000 business and residential locations, or about 23% of the state, that presently do not have access at speeds at or above 25/3 Mbps (the current federal definition of “broadband”).
The Department developed this plan in preparation for future federal aid to support recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. It also proposes using a reverse auction model to achieve universal broadband in comparatively short order. The plan can be found on the Department of Public Service webpage here: https://publicservice.vermont.gov/content/emergency-broadband-action-plan
In addition to participating in the upcoming Telecommunications and Connectivity Advisory Board meeting, the Department welcomes the public to provide written comments by May 26, by email to [email protected], or by mailing comments to the Department of Public Service, Telecommunications & Connectivity, 112 State St. Montpelier, VT 05620-2601.
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