With the COVID-19 pandemic continuing, our need for equitable, reliable, affordable, high-speed Internet service is ongoing.  

Prior to the appearance of COVID, a quicker Internet connection was considered a promising addition to our increasingly interconnected lives. Now, it is commonly understood to be a stark necessity. And unfortunately for some of us, it was and still is a faraway and expensive dream.

We were recently contacted by a Vernon resident who lives “off the beaten path;” she and her husband are not able to access the Internet through cable or even through a telephone line. In her words, they “have to rely on satellite or 4g, all of which have data caps. [They] are currently awaiting a new router that offers unlimited [access], but it will cost … almost $140 a month.” Furthermore, they live 1,000 feet from a cable substation and were informed that it would cost them $7,000 to connect. She wanted to know “when and if fiber comes to town, is that something everyone will have access to, even if [they] are out in the middle of nowhere? Is there anything [they] need to do to get put on a map or something?”

We want to know your stories; you are the reason we are working so hard to get every home and business in Vernon and southern Vermont access to affordable, reliable, high-speed broadband. DVFiber volunteers, ordinary folks like you, are seeking funding, working with a variety of companies to do a telephone pole study, locate all homes and businesses in the DVFiber district, and plan the work needed to make this happen.

As you can see, there is an enormous amount of work to be done to secure broadband for Vernon and this part of Vermont. Visit dvfiber.net or contact Munson Hicks at debandmunson@mac.com or Bronna Zlochiver at bronna.zlochiver@gmail.com to learn more. And remember, we do want to know your stories about your current Internet service and your questions or concerns about future fiber optic broadband service.

In an effort to connect with residents throughout the district, we have launched a quarterly newsletter. We invite you to read it and subscribe. Follow this link:

https://mailchi.mp/a80c36b03875/october-2020

DVFiber now has a Facebook page. If you use Facebook, please Like the page (search for DVFiber, or follow this link: https://www.facebook.com/DVFiber-113984150471692) and watch for more news of DVFiber’s growth and progress in the Vernon Community News, on the unofficial website www.VernonVermont.org, and on the Vernon Facebook Group page.