The Vermont Telecommunications Authority (VTA) has announced an award of $1,347,840 to VTel Wireless to expand broadband services in 19 Vermont communities, including Brattleboro, Dover, Dummerston, Putney, Westminister, Whitingham, and Wilmington.
According to the VTA, residents in these towns will have access to fourth-generation (4G) wireless broadband at speeds of at least 5 megabits per second (Mbps) because of the project, meeting the grant's requirement to offer a combined upload and download speed of 5 Mbps, with a minimum upload speed of 1 Mbps.
The project is scheduled to be completed prior to Dec. 31, 2013.
“VTel Wireless is currently building a leading-edge wireless broadband network across many communities in Vermont. This award will provide VTel the means to cover many more unserved pockets of homes and businesses from southern to northeastern Vermont,” said VTA Executive Director Christopher Campbell.
“General evidence around America is that 4G LTE wireless broadband technology is offering speeds superior to prior expectations.” said Michel Guite, president of Vermont Telephone Co (VTel). “Our concerns are that there will continue to be unserved homes in Vermont. However, with the help of Governor Shumlin and the VTA, we are making tremendous progress in reaching even more homes never before served.”
The VTA made the award through the broadband grant round it announced on March 13 of this year. This grant program provides incentives to broadband providers to reach the most rural locations. Funding for the grant program was made possible by an appropriation of the Legislature in the 2012-2013 fiscal year Capital Budget requested by Gov. Peter Shumlin as part of the Connect VT initiative.
In August 2010, VTel Wireless was awarded a federal stimulus grant and loans through the Rural Utilities Service to build a wireless broadband network that will provide 4G wireless broadband service to wide areas of Vermont.
The list of locations eligible for the grant program was compiled using data that was collected from providers through Vermont's Broadband Mapping Initiative.
Vermonters are invited to help complete the dataset of unserved locations by reporting unserved addresses at BroadbandVT.org.