The Vermont Community Broadband Board (VCBB) is joining with Vermont’s Congressional Delegation to call on the FCC to push back its deadline for challenges to its map and release the $100 million state minimum immediately.

What: Press Conference

Who: Congressman Peter Welch, representatives from the offices of Senator Bernie Sanders and Senator Patrick Leahy, state, and local officials

When: Wednesday, December, 21, 2022 at 2:00 p.m.

Where: Little Red Schoolhouse, 35 Barber Road, St. George, VT

VCBB and the Delegation are asking for a thirty-day extension to the current challenge deadline. This would give Vermonters more time to challenge incorrect information as more locations are added to the map. 22% of addresses in Vermont’s Public Service Department database didn’t appear on the FCC Map. There are also many addresses that are marked served that are actually not served and/or have poor service. This could have significant impact on the amount of funding that Vermont receives.

The request includes that the NTIA release the state minimum of $100 million as soon as possible. The Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment Program provides each state will receive a minimum of $100 million to fund the construction of high-speed internet access. An additional $37.1 billion is then distributed to states based on the total number of unserved locations.