Could Vermont Become the First State With Universal Broadband?

A Q&A with Vermont gubernatorial candidate Christine Hallquist.

Christine Hallquist has a plan for universal broadband, and it’s all about the grid. She’s best known as the first openly transgender gubernatorial nominee, but the former CEO of an electricity cooperative is campaigning on a bold and unprecedented proposal: a mandate requiring electric utilities to hang fiber-optic cable across their service areas. If successful, her plan would bring affordable, modern connections to every home and business in Vermont—an extraordinary outcome anywhere, but especially in an overwhelmingly rural state.