The Vermont Community Broadband Board (VCBB) announced a new program on Aug. 6 designed to help residents connect to broadband service when installation costs exceed standard rates.
The Affordable Long Drop Program will cover expenses for long or non-standard “drops,” including underground installations, which can make getting connected expensive for Vermonters.
Currently, providers pay the installation fees for “standard drops,” or homes within 500 to 2,000 feet from the fiber running along roadside utility poles, depending on the provider. Beyond that range, customers face additional charges – sometimes in the thousands – to connect their homes to broadband service.
“The Affordable Drop Program will allow NEK Broadband and CVFiber to serve hundreds of potential customers that have signed up but could not afford to put in the necessary underground conduit from the pole line to their house,” said Christa Shute, executive director of NEKCV, a merged entity formed by NEK Broadband and CVFiber in Vermont.
“With 71 towns and three of the lowest income counties, NEKCV is focused on maximizing the value of the program for our rural residents,” Shute said.
The initiative will prioritize funding for manufactured home communities, low- and moderate-income households, and addresses where residents have already committed to signing up for service.
Shute said that Vermonters who will need an underground or other non-standard drop to their home can visit their Communications Union District website to sign up for service and benefit from the Affordable Drop Program.
“Having high-speed internet in your neighborhood means nothing if you can’t afford to connect to it. This program is designed to be the final push that turns availability into true accessibility, opening the world of opportunities that come with a reliable broadband connection, from jobs to education, telehealth, social and so much more,” said VCBB Digital Equity Officer Britaney Watson.
The state will accept applications from Aug. 29 until Sept. 12.
