VT Democratic Gov Candidate Hallquist's plan to bring fiber-optic cable to VT: How would it work?

If Christine Hallquist is elected governor of Vermont, her plan is to pass legislation that would require electric utilities to hang fiber-optic cable in their service areas. The power companies could make money by leasing the fiber to internet service providers. Utilities would not be allowed to compete with traditional telecommunication companies by selling internet service directly to customers. "When I talk about doing fiber, I'm not saying that the electric companies are going to provide the services, because that would be unfair," Hallquist said. There would be no state funding to go along with the mandate. Hallquist believes that neither utilities nor telecom companies would put up a fight if the legislation is done correctly.  "I think the electric utility providers are going to want to do it anyway," said Hallquist, who was the CEO of Vermont Electric Cooperative until she resigned in 2018 to run for governor. "So we'll make it a requirement, but you’re not going to get resistance from the electric utilities."