Vermont

Stakeholder Engagement

The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) provided technical assistance, stakeholder engagement, and programmatic updates to the Vermont Community Broadband Board, stakeholders, and community members through the Vermont Federal Program Officer (FPO). The FPO provided continued support and attendance at ongoing meetings, stakeholder roundtables, and participation in listening sessions for the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program and Digital Equity plans. In 2023, the FPO participated in 35 stakeholder meetings and events, including with advocacy groups, municipal organizations, Internet Service Providers (ISPs), and government agencies.

Listening Sessions

Vermont leveraged BEAD and Digital Equity Program planning funds to host four in-person public listening sessions throughout the state, two state-wide, virtual listening sessions, and 22 virtual roundtable sessions. The state also convened a bi-weekly Digital Equity Core Team of members representing covered populations. Themes that emerged from these sessions included the needs to strengthen local control of Internet infrastructure and to encourage affordability programs.

Providing Tailored Assistance

Vermont has a unique, state-wide policy framework that empowers municipalities to come together to form communications union districts (CUDs) and build publicly owned networks. The Office of Internet Connectivity and Growth’s (OICG) Technical Assistance team provided specialized support to help Vermont harmonize its BEAD planning with the state’s unique policy of developing regional-, municipal-, and community-owned fiber networks. To do so, OICG held three tailored one-on-one Technical Assistance sessions, which assisted in the development of Vermont’s Initial Proposal Volume I and Volume II. Additionally, NTIA drafted written responses to 30 questions regarding the BEAD Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO).