by Carol Caldwell-Edmonds, Lamoille FiberNet Marketing and Communications Committee

Less than one year ago, Lamoille FiberNet posted about our Communications Union District, or CUD. https://lamoillefiber.net/what-is-a-cud-not-the-kind-the-cows-chew/ We are one of nine CUDs in Vermont. Currently, Lamoille FiberNet CUD serves Belvidere, Cambridge, Eden, Elmore, Hyde Park, Johnson, Morrisville, Stowe, Waterville, and Wolcott. CUDs are governmental units, like waste or water districts, made up of towns and unincorporated areas, for the purpose of building fiber-based internet capable of at least 100/100 Mbps.

We’d like to update you on the work of Lamoille FiberNet:

• Vermont put CUDs at the Center of Its strategy to provide everyone in the state access to high-speed broadband
• The Vermont Community Foundation (VCF), VSECU, and the Vermont Community Broadband Board secured a pre-purchase of the initial fiber needed for all 9 CUDs at the end of 2021. This provided access to the fiber optic cable needed for the 2022 construction season at pricing 35-40% cheaper than the cost if the CUDs were to go at it alone.
• Lamoille FiberNet was awarded a grant by the Vermont Department of Public Service through the Vermont Community Broadband Board for $1,193,885.00 which will be used to file the necessary applications and complete pre-construction planning and engineering as we are planning to break ground during our first construction season beginning in Summer 2022.
• Grant funds can also lower the debt needed to build networks, keeping service more affordable.
• Once networks are built, planning for subsidizing service for economically challenged households will be next.

The mission of Lamoille FiberNet Communications Union District (LFCUD) is to make locally controlled, affordable and reliable high-speed Internet service available to every address in our member towns – Belvidere, Cambridge, Eden, Elmore, Hyde Park, Johnson, Morristown, Stowe, Waterville, and Wolcott. For more info, go to http://www.LamoilleFiber.net.