It’s hardly two-months-old and already the 11-town organization looking to bridge Franklin and Grand Isle counties’ broadband gaps has a vision.

According to the Northwest Communications Union District (CUD)’s current chair, the CUD’s governing board has a long-term goal of laying down a “fiber highway” through the counties’ most rural corridors, leaving the actual Internet service to established providers.

ST. ALBANS CITY – The organizations formed to fill Vermont’s broadband gaps had a message for Rep. Peter Welch, D – Vt., Wednesday: broadband could come only with additional funds and a level playing field.
Vermont’s sole congressperson heard from representatives of several of Vermont’s nine communications union districts – or CUDs – during a virtual meeting Wednesday morning.
According to representatives from those CUDs, those organizations, formed by Vermont communities looking to collaborate on broadband access, were constrained by financial needs and the federal government’s preference for larger companies.