READSBORO — Deerfield Valley Communications Union District (DVCUD), operating as DVFiber, the communications union district serving 24 towns in southeastern Vermont, says it has connected its first customers with high-speed fiber optic Internet.
According to a news release, customers in Readsboro were connected to DVFiber.net late in December. This pilot group is testing the DVFiber network for reliability of speed and access to the Internet for a three-month trial period.
DVFiber says it will survey the pilot group for feedback regarding all aspects of customer service, including initial connection, call response time, repair, customer support, and billing. The survey findings will help ensure that connecting larger numbers of customers will go as quickly and smoothly as possible in 2023.
“The connection of the pilot program customers last week marks a huge milestone for Readsboro. In recent years, whenever someone new moves into town the first thing they ask is, ‘What’s the best option for Internet service?’ and really there were no good broadband options available.
“So, for me,” says Omar Smith, Readsboro’s representative to the DVFiber Governing Board, “it’s very exciting to see a ‘world class’ option available for our community. It creates a level playing field for our residents to have the same connected services as many larger, more densely populated areas.”
Now that DVFiber is officially an internet service provider (ISP) for Windham and Bennington counties, its next focus will be to press forward speedily with its construction to expand and connect more customers in 2023.
The current expected engineering plan is that DVFiber will connect customers in areas of Halifax, Marlboro, Readsboro, Stamford, and Whitingham. DVFiber’s construction build-out design does not track town borders, so portions of some member towns may be available to be connected sooner than another section of the same town. This construction work is expected to take the better part of the next two years.
“These initial homes mark the first step in achieving our goal to make fibernet service accessible and affordable to all in our district,” said DVFiber Chair Steven John. “This is our mission and sole purpose as your publicly owned and operated Internet service provider.”
DVFiber was established in 2020 to provide universal, affordable, reliable high-speed Internet service that will support economic development and expand educational opportunities within the district. For more information, visit dvfiber.net.