Otter Creek Communications Union District (Otter Creek CUD) Announces Full Funding for Complete High-speed Fiber Broadband Buildout Planned to be Completed in 2024!
In our last news update, Otter Creek CUD announced the award of our funding grant which would allow us to begin building broadband to most, but not all, of our region’s on-grid unserved and underserved addresses.
With the new year came a new development to Otter Creek CUD plans! This development allows fiber to be built and service offered to all of Otter Creek CUD’s eligible addresses before the end of 2024! This excellent news means that Otter Creek CUD can fulfill its mission to bring high-speed fiber to our entire district with the awarded grant funding. In fact, we were able to return over $1 Million which can be used to build high-speed broadband in other regions of Vermont.
What was the new development? The incumbent telecommunications provider, GoNetspeed, serving Benson, Hubbardton and areas of Sudbury and North Castleton, received federal funding through another grant program which enables them to build and offer high-speed fiber broadband service to every un/underserved address in their territory. This means that Otter Creek CUD’s grant funds will be shifted from the GoNetspeed territory to enable complete fiber broadband build-out to every eligible address in the member towns and areas which are served by Otter Creek CUD’s partner-provider, Consolidated Communications – Brandon,
Otter Creek CUD’s plan will build to a total of 5,388 addresses.
GoNetspeed will build roughly 1,762 addresses including 1,420 unserved addresses in Sudbury, Hubbardton, Benson, and Castleton. Consolidated Communications will build approximately 3,626 addresses including 1,290 unserved addresses in Brandon, Castleton, Chittenden, Fair Haven, Goshen, Mendon, Pawlet, Pittsford, Poultney, Rutland City, Rutland Town, Shrewsbury, Sudbury, Wells, West Haven, and West Rutland. Schedules for when construction will begin and when service will be offered in each area will be posted to the Otter Creek CUD website in the coming months.