High-speed broadband access is an essential service for all Vermonters. The pandemic made this reality abundantly clear as we relied on such access for work, school, recreation, and health care. In 2021, the Legislature passed Act 71, which strives to provide universal high-speed, affordable fiber-optic broadband to all unserved and underserved areas of the state. The legislation created the Vermont Community Broadband Board to oversee this work and disperse grants to regional Communications Union Districts (CUDs), including Maple Broadband in Addison County, to build-out broadband infrastructure throughout the state over the next several years. The Legislature has allocated $245 million in federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding to support this work, with another $100-150 million coming through the federal Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.
Ruth for Vermont 