The FCC has a new broadband map. Vermont officials say it vastly overstates reality.

According to the Federal Communications Commission, more than 95 percent of Vermont households have broadband internet access. That’s the main takeaway from a newly updated map created by the FCC that tracks internet speeds and provider availability down to individual addresses. But officials at the Vermont Community Broadband Board said that the database overestimates the percent of households with broadband — and that federal funding is at stake. “I think a lot of Vermonters will be really curious to see what the FCC claims is available versus what is available in their own reality,” said Robert Fish, deputy director of the board. The near-100 percent figure includes satellite internet providers such as Starlink, which the FCC claims is available throughout the entire state. Fish said sure, satellite is available — “if you are north facing and cut down all of the trees and maybe blast the top of a hill to get the good coverage.”  But even just comparing the most common forms of broadband access — wired connections such as cable and fiber, and licensed wireless providers — the Vermont board disagreed with the FCC's assessment of availability at multiple levels.