Google Fiber deal could bring high speed internet to 43,000 Vermont households

Two groups of communities in northwest Vermont are close to reaching an agreement with Google Fiber to bring lightning-fast service to some of the state’s most underserved areas. Communications union districts (CUDs) are towns that have banded together to build communication infrastructure. Two of Vermont’s newest CUDs, Northwest FiberworX (with 21 member communities) and Lamoille FiberNet (with 10 member communities), joined forces last year to build, own and maintain an open-access fiber network that can host multiple internet service providers — a first for the state. Google heard about the partnership and approached the state in September, said Val Davis of Johnson, executive director of Lamoille FiberNet, and they have been in discussions since. Google Fiber is a high-speed broadband internet service that uses fiber-optic cables to deliver speeds of up to two gigabits to homes and businesses. The company currently serves 20 metro areas across the US. The process involves a lot of back and forth, but Davis said he hopes to have an agreement signed with Google by the end of June.