Fiber Cable Availability Likely in Late 2024

By Eric Lineback

By the time you read this article, DVFiber’s contractor, Sertex, will already be installing fiber cable in Stamford and Readsboro. Sertex is providing experienced crews to complete construction at a current rate of thirteen miles per month. Their trucks will proudly display our DVFiber logo for easy identification and public relations. This construction will follow GMP’s make-ready work which prepares their poles for attaching DVFiber’s fiber network. GMP has so far prepared more than 100 miles of our pole application permits and continues making steady progress to meet our construction goals.

Deerfield Valley Communications Union District (DVCUD), operating as DVFiber, is a Vermont communications union district (CUD) established in southeastern Vermont in 2020 to provide affordable, reliable, high-speed internet service that will support economic development and expand educational opportunities within the district. The district operates under the principles of equity, performance, affordability, reliability, and privacy, and currently encompasses a total of 24 towns, including Dummerston.

In May, DVFiber will begin providing phone service to the small pilot group of customers we connected to the internet at the very end of last year. We are eager to see how this works for people who have used traditional telephone connections via copper wire. Our phone service is “voice over internet protocol” (VOIP), connecting to the world via fiber just like the Internet connection.

As part of our continuing progress, DVFiber’s Communications Committee, working with our private partner Great Works Internet (GWI), has redesigned our website to be more customercentric. Soon you will be able to enter your E-911 address and get an estimate of when DVFiber can connect you to our world-class service. Dummerston will not likely see any build-out until the later phases of the construction plan, perhaps starting towards the end of 2024. (It is impossible to say with any more precision at this point, since so many varied and changing factors are involved.)

Our approved Universal Service Plan is designed to serve all locations within our 24 member towns, but it will take an estimated four to six years to fully complete our network. The volunteer representatives and alternates on our governing board are working with GWI, GMP, and the Vermont Community Broadband Board (VCBB) to expedite our construction.

On a final note, several people have inquired about service plans and rates. Right now, we are offering three service levels: 75/75 Mbps ($75/month), 300/300 Mbps ($90/month), and 1000/1000 Mbps ($130/month). VOIP phone service is being offered at $19.95/month for unlimited local and long-distance calling. Note that these plans and rates will likely be different when the service becomes available here.

Stay tuned! We will continue to keep you posted on our progress!

Learn more and get involved

Intrigued? To get the latest news on progress and projected timelines for construction, sign up for the DVFiber newsletter at DVFiber.net and stay informed. Meeting agendas and minutes are also posted online, and all are welcome to attend meetings.

Want to get involved? This broadband project is staffed almost entirely by volunteers, which is a major undertaking! Fortunately, many volunteers have relevant experience, enabling the development of strong forward momentum. Anyone interested in helping to make a better future for everyone in these communities should contact Eric Lineback (your DVFiber Governing Board representative from Dummerston) at eric. dvfiber@gmail.com