Vt. Developing Long Drop Program to Extend Fiber

Vermont wants to make it cheaper for residents living more than 400 feet from roadways with fiber lines to connect to high-speed internet, the Vermont Community Broadband Board (VCCB) said Thursday. The board unanimously approved a resolution directing staff to develop a program that would provide funds to qualified providers to cover the extra cost to reach farther-away, low-income Vermonters, the VCCB said. The board estimated it can cost several thousands of dollars for aerial drops -- and more for underground drops. The planned Long Drop Program fund will use $1.5 million from Vermont’s Connectivity Initiative and up to $2.5 million in federal funding from the U.S. Treasury’s Capital Projects Fund that returned to the VCCB after some previously awarded broadband projects came in under budget, the board said. Inviting comments on the program while it’s developed, the VCCB said it plans to issue a request for proposals “toward the end of the year.”