Telecom: Broadband Adoption

State & Local Broadband Best Practices Survey

1. ID (System Generated): 22586

2. Project Name (System Generated): VT Vermont Telecommunications Authority

3. State: VT

4. Title of project or program: Vermont Telecommunications Authority

5. Identify the type of organization that administers this project:

   1. Government Agency

   2. Other:

6. What is the project’s geographic coverage area? Statewide

7. Is the purpose of the project to construct broadband infrastructure in/to:

   1. Unserved Areas

   2. Underserved Areas

   3. Community Anchor Institutions

   4. Improve Public Safety Services

   5. Improve Health Care Delivery

   6. Improve Education

8. Is the purpose of the project to promote broadband use by:

9. What technologies are used by the project?

   1. Fiber Optic

   2. Other Wireless Technology

   3. Other technology: 4G Wireless

10. If the project involves utilizing noteworthy hardware or software products, please identify the major vendors and/or partners for the project:

11. Did the project involve building infrastructure that produced a new or faster broadband service? Yes

    1. What is the rated or marketed speed of the fastest new or updated broadband service offered to:

       Business consumers?2500 mbps

       Residential consumers?2500 mbps

    2. Are these “peak” speeds or “average” speeds?

    3. Are these speeds “symmetrical?” (users can simultaneously upload and download at this speed): Yes

12. What consumers are served by the infrastructure project:

    1. Other:

13. If the purpose of the project is to stimulate demand for broadband services, please indicate how it achieved this goal:

    1. Other method:

14. If the purpose of the project is to improve affordability of broadband services, please indicate how it achieves this goal:

    1. Other method:

15. If the purpose of the project is to promote the availability of broadband services in rural areas, please indicate how it achieves this goal:

    1. Distance Learning

    2. Telehealth & Telemedicine

    3. Other:

16. Please provide detailed project description including time sequence for the project's implementation: The Vermont Telecommunications Authority's (VTA's) chief initiative is to create a series of wireless towers around the state located on small home-scale wind turbines. These towers will generate roaming revenue for VTA from other wireless carriers. The turbines will mostly be located at residences, although some will be located at schools and government building sites. The turbines are small, with 112 foot towers and generating 2.5 kw at peak. Each tower will also have a software-defined radio capable of supporting all wireless formats currently used by carriers operating in Vermont. Tower owners will receive free net-metered electricity from the turbine and a small rental subsidy from VTA. Each tower will be connected using backhaul that may be owned by VTA or leased from commercial providers. VTA is also planning to construct a statewide fiber network to support backhaul and for other commercial purposes. The fiber will be constructed in cooperation with the statewide electric transmission network (VELCO) and several retail electric utilities. Fiber will terminate at each of several hundred electric substations in the state and thus will be relatively near to each VTA cell tower location. The electric utilities will use the fiber for their own load management purposes. In other programs, VTA has made grants to some commercial entities to expand their wireless broadband facilities. VTA is also seeking federal grants to provide broadband service to the approximately 11% of Vermont E-911 addresses for which there is no other plan for broadband service.

17. Identify the project funding sources:

    1. State or Local Tax Funds

    2. State or Local Bonds

    3. Other:

18. What is the project cost?

    1. Total capital expenditures to date:

       $ millions as of [fiscal/calendar] year 2009

    2. Annual program operating budget (estimated if not yet fully operational):

       $ millions as of [fiscal/calendar] year 2010

19. What impediments or problems were encountered in completing the project or program? The chief problem faced by VTA was to develop a viable business model for mobile broadband services in remote unserved areas. Permitting was a second problem. Many cell towers in Vermont have required both local zoning permits and a statewide land use permit that can be very costly to obtain.

20. What actions were taken to resolve or minimize project or program impediments and problems? The business model was improved by: a) reducing backhaul costs by building competitive backhaul facilities. These include fiber feeder runs to electric utility substations and fixed wireless facilities that interconnect cell towers and electric substations; b) reducing rental costs by generating electric power using wind turbines on the cell towers; c) finding a software defined radio technology that can support multiple cellular formats. The permitting problem was resolved by the state legislature, which created a new permit system. It allows the VTA to seek single permits from the Vermont Public Service Board for one or more cell/generating towers. This avoided the need to obtain hundreds of zoning and state land use permits for individual sites.

21. What other lessons were learned during the process of undertaking and completing this project or program? Government-wide commitment to broadband deployment has been very important to VTA's success. The legislature, the Governor, and citizens are all involved.

22. Project or program website link: http://www.telecomvt.org

23. For further information contact:

    1. Name: William Shuttleworth

    2. Title: Executive Director

    3. Organization: Vermont Telecommunications Authority

    4. Telephone Number: 802-828-1788

    5. E-Mail Address: wshuttleworth@telecomvt.org