Southern Vermont Communications Union District earns FTTH grant approval
The Southern Vermont Communications Union District (So VT CUD) says the Vermont Community Broadband Board (VCBB) has approved the CUD’s $9 million internet fiber construction grant. The grant will be combined with $3.3 million from Consolidated Communications (NASDAQ: CNSL) to build a fiber to the home (FTTH) network that will pass 6,412 addresses across southern Vermont (see "Fidium Fiber announces FTTP deployments in Vermont").
Consolidated Communications will build, maintain, and operate the network, which So VT CUD expects will reach all unserved and underserved residents in 14 towns in the CUD in 2023. The So VT CUD currently represents the towns of Arlington, Bennington, Dorset, Landgrove, Londonderry, Manchester, Peru, Pownal, Rupert, Sandgate, Shaftsbury, Sunderland, Winhall and Woodford.
Meanwhile, Consolidated Communications has agreed to spend an additional $10.8 million to reach more than 13,000 additional addresses not covered by the grant with FTTH, bringing the total number of homes reached to 19,000. A portion of Consolidated’s investment comes from the FCC’s Rural Digital Opportunity Fund (RDOF) program.
"The Vermont Community Broadband Board is pleased with the partnership that has been established with Fidium Fiber and So VT CUD to provide residents in the 14 towns in southwestern Vermont with affordable and reliable high-speed Internet,” said Christine Hallquist, executive director of the VCBB. “This is an example of public-private partnerships that will ensure every Vermonter finally has reliable and low-cost connections needed to participate in the digital economy as well as provide public oversight and accountability."
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Stephen Hardy | Editorial Director and Associate Publisher, Lightwave
Stephen Hardy is editorial director and associate publisher of Lightwave and Broadband Technology Report, part of the Lighting & Technology Group at Endeavor Business Media. Stephen is responsible for establishing and executing editorial strategy across the both brands’ websites, email newsletters, events, and other information products. He has covered the fiber-optics space for more than 20 years, and communications and technology for more than 35 years. During his tenure, Lightwave has received awards from Folio: and the American Society of Business Press Editors (ASBPE) for editorial excellence. Prior to joining Lightwave in 1997, Stephen worked for Telecommunications magazine and the Journal of Electronic Defense.
Stephen has moderated panels at numerous events, including the Optica Executive Forum, ECOC, and SCTE Cable-Tec Expo. He also is program director for the Lightwave Innovation Reviews and the Diamond Technology Reviews.
He has written numerous articles in all aspects of optical communications and fiber-optic networks, including fiber to the home (FTTH), PON, optical components, DWDM, fiber cables, packet optical transport, optical transceivers, lasers, fiber optic testing, and more.
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