Greetings.

Here's hoping that you and yours are safe and healthy. As the pandemic continues to rumble across the nation, we understand even more fully that issues facing the creative sector are, in many cases, the same issues that affect our communities. We take a brief look this month at the issue of broadband, a reality that affects so many of us here in rural Vermont. Thanks to the many Vermonters who are currently hard at work to solve the problem of internet access for all. 

Southern Zone Leadership Team

Feature :: Pandemic Pivot and Hiland Hill

Legislative Update

Groundbreaking Broadband Legislation

by Rep. Laura H. Sibilia--Dover, Readsboro, Searsburg, Somerset, Stamford, Wardsboro, Whitingham

The federal and state emergency declarations brought about by the global pandemic have highlighted just how many aspects of Vermonters lives are affected by access or to high quality broadband. Vermonters in general and the creative sector specifically rely on high speed affordable broadband to access the global economy and markets, education, healthcare and government services.
 
The Vermont Legislature passed groundbreaking broadband legislation in the pre-pandemic 2019 session. Act 79 acknowledged that the market regulated development of telecommunications infrastructure had left much of rural and poor Vermont behind and that federal preemption protected for profit internet providers from state mandated expansion. The entire Windham and Bennington County delegations supported efforts to incentivize and support the formation of Communications Union Districts (CUD) which are municipalities formed by two or more municipalities coming together to plan, finance and build universal high speed broadband. 

Two such CUDs formed in 2019 in southern Vermont: Deerfield Valley CUD and Southern Vermont CUD. We are fortunate to have talented and committed volunteers leading those efforts. Our CUDs pre-pandemic formation has been helpful as the governor’s administration, legislators, and community volunteers have raced to bring forward short term solutions and accelerate longer term efforts using Cares Act funding as outlined in Act 137 of 2020.
 
Rep. Laura H. Sibilia
House Energy & Technology Committee, Vice Chair
Joint IT Oversight Committee, Chair
cell (802)384-0233 @laurasibiliavt 

Two Communications Districts Arise in Southern Vermont

Internet access is a lynchpin for strong community and economic development.

As Rep. Sibilia notes above, the COVID pandemic abruptly revealed the need for reliable, equitably accessible broadband--for education, for health care, for commerce, and for personal productivity.
 
Across the state, and after years of many separate single-community efforts, Vermonters are banding together to secure reliable, high-speed internet for every household and business. Why? Gov. Scott, responding to strong citizen advocacy, signed a piece of legislation enabling the creation of communications union districts (CUD), municipalities charged to secure broadband access.
 
A CUD is a state-recognized entity established to focus solely on the provision of high-speed broadband access for all. Each CUD is authorized to conduct and oversee all the business necessary to fulfill its mission, including strategic finances, planning, construction, management, customer service, and negotiations to contract for all services to that end.
 
"Vermont's long-term strategy for getting broadband to the under-served is CUDs. CUDs are volunteers with no taxing authority trying to solve a $400M problem," explains Tim Scroggins, chair of Catamount Fiber, the CUD serving southwestern Vermont.
 
This 2019 law permits the use of municipal “revenue bonds” to build a broadband network to serve member towns. However, the law guarantees that the member towns’ taxpayers will not be liable for the repayment of any CUD indebtedness. Repayment is made by adding a fixed user fee to the subscriber’s monthly fee for broadband service.
 
The two southern Vermont districts are gathering steam--SoVT CUD currently has 12 member towns, and DVCUD just increased to 16. Volunteer efforts all, governing boards meet regularly and are open to the public, subject to Vermont Open Meeting Law.

Each welcomes towns to join this quickly moving effort. The eight statewide districts have also joined a collective association, called VCDUA (Vermont Communications Union District Association). Start here for an overview of the state's eight CUDs.

Is your town engaged? 


Some Broadband Resources and Thoughts

Deerfield Valley Communications District, dba DVFiber
Southern Vermont Communications Union District 
Bill Schubart: The Broadband Imperative: Where's the Leadership
WIndham Region Broadband Project

Action of the Month

Activate your Voice

Already voted? Planning a trip to the polls on November 3? Your voice can help make the difference. 

If you need assistance, contact your Town Clerk. 

Vermont Creative Network News

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