Communication union districts continue broadband rollout

Town by town, Vermont is getting connected thanks to communication union districts (CUDs) rolling out fiber cable. The Vermont Community Broadband Board says the work of the CUDs is moving the needle, with the vast majority of Vermonters getting access to fiber connection, something they say is a change from a year-and-a-half ago. Davis Brakeley calls his experience of trying to surf the web just over a year ago “the dark ages.” Brakeley is on the board of trustees of the Shard Villa Residential Care Home in Salisbury. Shard Villa has dozens of residents and employees looking to get online at any time for job requirements, connecting with family or telehealth. The county tapped into Maple Broadband, Addison County’s communication union district that began construction in October 2022. They’ve built fiber broadband access in more than 32 miles of Addison County, with another 68-mile build underway that would hook up more than 200 customers.