ECFiber Extends ACP Benefit through May

Executive Committee votes to cover $30 monthly subsidy in hopes of Congressional action

South Royalton VT: ECFiber customers in danger of losing a $30 monthly credit on their bill as the federal Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) expires will receive a one-month extension directly from ECFiber. The decision was made by the executive committee in hopes that the ACP program funding will be replenished by congressional action in the coming weeks. “We can move quickly because we are a small community-oriented ISP,” said committee member Irv Thomae, who chaired ECFiber for many years, “but we cannot provide this support on our own for very long.” A bipartisan effort led by Senator Peter Welch is gaining momentum as the impact of the program’s end becomes reality for tens of millions of economically distressed households across the country.

ECFiber has also been enhancing the ACP benefit by providing a private $20 monthly credit through its internal affordability fund, which previously had been the source of donations totaling $270,000 to the now-inactive Equal Access to Broadband, Inc., a nonprofit that ECFiber leadership created to develop affordability programs prior to the advent of the ACP. The full governing board of ECFiber had previously voted to continue the $20 subsidy for the remainder of 2024.

The cost of building and operating a business that delivers world-class broadband where cable and phone companies refuse to invest means the lowest price ECFiber can offer is $72 a month, largely because it is funded by borrowed money, not grants.

“If ECFiber had no debt service expenses, our lowest price could probably be $39 a month,” said F. X. Flinn, Board Chair, “That day is 15 to 25 years in the future, but at that point we will not only be the best technology, but also the low-cost provider. Until then, we need the Federal and State governments to help low-income households with targeted subsidies. The ACP accomplishes that; it certifies eligible households and has a simple system for registering customers. It just needs to be funded.” The combined $50 credit brings that down to $22 for eligible households.

ECFiber is the trade name of a community-controlled internet service provider created by a grassroots effort that began in 2006. Community control is exercised by the East Central Vermont Telecommunications District, a special purpose municipality akin to a water district. The District, comprised of 31 towns, each of which exercises a single vote on the District Governing Board. The District has no taxing authority and cannot call upon member town taxpayers for any support; the revenues of the business must cover all costs including loan repayments. To date, 95% of its funding, or $70 million, has come from municipal revenue bonds

The District contracts with GWI Vermont, LLC, a subsidiary of Great Works Internet of Maine, which operates ISPs in a number of Maine municipalities, to design, build, and operate the business. The District has no employees; its board members and officers serve without compensation.

ECFiber serves nearly 9,000 residential and business customers on over 1,700 miles of network that makes Gigabit Internet available to over 22,000 residential locations. It is presently extending its network in Fairlee, West Fairlee, Bradford, and Newbury, with work in Topsham, Corinth, Washington, and Windsor to begin later this year. When all 31 towns are completed, over 30,000 residences and 3,000 businesses will be able to obtain 1 Gigabit per second upload and download speeds, the very definition of what constitutes world-class broadband. About half of the new work is being supported by grants from the Vermont Community Broadband Fund. Because ECFiber will have already brought broadband to over 20,000 locations that would otherwise be eligible for Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) funding, it will not be able to obtain grants from that program.

For information contact

F. X. Flinn

Chair, Governing Board (Town of Hartford Delegate)

East Central Vermont Telecommunications District (dba ECFiber)

e: chair@ecfiber.net | m:802-369-0069

 VCUDA Announces New Leadership

The Vermont Communications Union Districts Association (VCUDA) has elected new officers:

President: Ellie de Villiers, Maple Broadband
Vice President: Jonathan Baker, NEK Broadband
Treasurer & Secretary: F. X. Flinn, ECFiber

VCUDA consists of nine Communications Union Districts (CUDs), regional municipalities that have formed in Vermont to provide world-class broadband to unserved and underserved addresses in Vermont. Modeled on the Vermont League of Cities and Towns, VCUDA formed in November 2020.

Addison County native de Villiers steps into VCUDA leadership with deep experience in telecommunications, strategy, and policy. de Villiers received an MBA from Babson College before moving to South Africa in 2010, where she spent the better part of a decade working in telecommunications. While in South Africa, de Villiers volunteered as chair of the largest trade association in the telecommunications industry for a year, and as its treasurer and head of regulatory affairs for another two. She worked for a multi-national fiber operator leading its affordable access initiatives.

“I am excited to bring my background in telecommunications and experience leading a trade association to VCUDA,” said de Villiers. “The next few years will be pivotal for the success of community-driven broadband in Vermont, and VCUDA plays a critical role. VCUDA facilitates collaboration between CUDs and is the platform which allows CUDs to speak with a single voice on relevant public policy matters. VCUDA also serves to amplify the public broadband mission of the CUDs.”

Danville resident Baker is a founding member of the executive committee of the state's largest and most rural CUD, NEK Broadband. He provided input to the legislature during the passing of Act 71. He brings over 16 years in software development to create tools that help solve broadband access and affordability challenges.

"The mission of the CUDs is to give Vermonters a say in how they are treated by their broadband provider," said Jonathan. "The national telcos had their chance over the past 20 years and they failed. Massively. Now, it’s time for our CUDs to step in and help those who have been left behind. VCUDA is here to drive that message home: Everyone deserves to be connected, no matter where they live, and that connection must be affordable. We're here to make sure Vermonters' broadband tax dollars stay in our state and build affordable community-owned fiber to every home on the grid.”

VCUDA would like to thank outgoing President F. X. Flinn for his service and commitment to broadband in Vermont, including his role as the driving force behind the formation of VCUDA. Flinn reflected on the history of VCUDA, “The pandemic hit just as I retired, and I was grateful to be in a position to devote far more of my time as chair of ECFiber's governing board to starting VCUDA and serving as its first President.” He continued, “It's important for the CUDs to have a leader who is from one of the new districts because that's where the policy action is right now, and my position with ECFiber, which has been a CUD since long before COVID and which has thousands of miles of network and customers, is entering a new phase of its development that requires even more of my time and attention. VCUDA is central to achieving the state's goal of bringing world-class broadband to all on-grid premises in the state -- the goal first enunciated by ECFiber at its creation in 2008.”

This is an exciting time for VCUDA and the CUDs. Many of the CUDs are actively building out networks and connecting homes that have previously lacked broadband or been woefully underserved. The incoming leadership team will focus on collaboration between CUDs and with the Vermont Community Broadband Board (VCBB), identifying and working to solve issues encountered by multiple CUDs, development of best practices where needed, and collaboration with other groups with similar goals.

 Two Vermont Communication Union Districts (CUDs) Join Forces to Forge a Promising Path Forward with Unique Fiber Broadband Model

Northwest FiberworX (a CUD with 21 member communities) and Lamoille FiberNet (a CUD with 10 member communities) are formalizing plans together to build, own, and maintain an “open-access” fiber network that can host multiple ISPs (Internet Service Providers). When construction is finalized, the CUDs intend to universally serve every on-grid home & business.

 Poll shows more people dissatisfied with broadband service, even though more have it

In a VPR-Vermont PBS poll conducted in early January, more people across Vermont said access to high-speed internet is a problem, compared with the results from a poll in 2019. This increase comes as even more people in the state have access to good service.

 Four CUDs get $9.9 million to help expand broadband

Governor Phil Scott, Congressman Peter Welch and Vermont Community Broadband Board Executive Director Christine Hallquist announced Monday in Montpelier $9.9 million in grants to accelerate broadband expansion in four Vermont Communication Union Districts (CUDs).

This press release was issued by VCUDA on June 9th, 2021

VCUDA Cheers H.360, Seeks Applications for Appointment to Broadband Board

The Vermont Communication Union District Association (VCUDA) lauds Governor Phil Scott’s signing of H.360, the 2021 broadband bill, which puts communities in charge of investing once-in-a-generation federal funding for the build out of rural broadband networks. The state’s nine communication union districts (CUD), which together represent 190 individual municipalities, are dedicated to the mission of bringing broadband to all on-grid homes and businesses in their communities.

“We want to thank Governor Scott and the legislature for backing a CUD-centric approach to accomplishing the goal of making broadband ubiquitous in our state,” said F. X. Flinn, Chair of VCUDA and ECFiber. “ECFiber is proof of concept that CUDs can get the job done for rural Vermonters.” ECFiber became Vermont’s first CUD in 2016, and now serves over 6,050 customers in 31 towns of east central Vermont, stretching from Windsor to Newbury along the Connecticut River and west to the Green Mountains.

The new law creates the Vermont Community Broadband Board (VCBB) to direct the use of the new Vermont Community Broadband Fund, seeded by $150 million in American Recovery Plan Act appropriations. The role of the VCBB is to provide time-limited leadership for coordinating the buildout of broadband by Vermont’s communications union districts and their partners, for developing financing mechanisms to fully support that buildout, and to support policies and programs designed to accelerate community efforts that advance the State’s goal of achieving universal access to reliable, high-quality, affordable, fixed broadband. The law gives VCUDA the right to appoint one of five board members.

“It’s a formidable task, but we are anxious to get going,” said Ann Manwaring, Chair of DVFiber, a CUD in the Deerfield Valley region, and VCUDA Treasurer. “We look forward to working with the new broadband board and its executive director on making a real difference in the lives of rural residents.”

Applications Sought for VCUDA Board Appointment

VCUDA’s board of directors invites persons interested in serving on the VCBB to submit applications for its consideration. In addition to the VCUDA appointment, two will be appointed by the Governor, and one each by the Vermont House and Senate. Applications should be emailed to VCBB@VCUDA.org, and include a submittal letter discussing the opportunity along with a c.v. or resume. VCUDA is particularly interested in receiving applications from full-time Vermont residents who support community ownership of fiber networks and who understand the current economic and logistical challenges of rural broadband deployment.

By law, the directors of the VCBB may not have any financial interest in or be owners, employees, or members of a governing board of an Internet service provider or a communications union district. The VCUDA appointment will be through January 31, 2024, and compensation is provided in the form of per-diem payments and expense reimbursement.

This is an opportunity to play a key role in resolving Vermont’s broadband delivery challenges and securing the digital future for its citizens. The VCUDA board expects to make its appointment by mid-July.

“We are casting a wide net because we know there is a lot of talent and interest to serve out there,” said Jane Campbell, Chair of Lamoille Fiber and VCUDA Secretary. “If you want to help bring true broadband to every Vermonter, we look forward to hearing from you.”

The Vermont Communications Union Districts Association consists of the nine municipalities that have formed in Vermont since 2016 and is modeled on the Vermont League of Cities and Towns. VCUDA seeks to provide a forum for CUDs to exchange ideas, seek opportunities, and develop programs for the mutual benefit of the districts.