The Organization

What towns can participate in this venture?

Towns that are partly served by Vermont independent telephone companies, and partly by Verizon, represent a challenge. The independents have done a better job of providing upgraded service than Verizon, and ECFiberNet's main mission is to connect underserved areas.

Is there a limit on which towns can participate?

ECFiberNet has no wish to compete with Vermont’s locally-owned independent telephone companies. They have done a good job in providing needed services in their service areas and the money they earn stays in our communities.

We are not currently planning to extend the project into towns that are served, fully or partially) by one of the Independent Telephone Companies (e.g. Vermont Tel, Topsham Tel, etc). Any town in the East Central Vermont region which is served 100% by Verizon is welcome. The reason is simple: the independents have done a much better job serving their towns than Verizon has. We need to concentrate our efforts on those towns that are poorly served by the incumbent carriers. However, we will be looking for opportunities “down the road,” to partner with independent telcos, so that we can extend service into neighboring districts that they may not be able to reach. This is likely to make the process somewhat lengthier in these areas, but we are committed to finding a solution for all interested areas.

What about if other towns want to join later?

We plan to develop a policy by which a town can join the project after it is underway. However, later towns will probably have to pay a premium to compensate the earlier towns for the extra risk that they will have taken by going first.

Has ECFibernet been formally created? Is it a non-profit standalone or as part of some other entity?

ECFiberNet is currently an Ad Hoc committee, a non-profit, and is not a part of any other entity though largely blessed by select boards of the participating towns. The legal entity needed to execute the project will be formed after town meeting, through an inter-local agreement amongst participating towns.

Who are its officers?

ECFibernet is managed by a Steering Committee comprised of the following Committee Chairs plus representatives from Valley Net (Stan Williams, Tim Nulty and Leslie Nulty):

a) Legal Committee: Jim Masland, Thetford
b) Finance Committee: Stan Williams, Norwich
c) Community Outreach Committee: Bob Merrill, Pomfret
d) Select Board Liaison Committee: Loredo Sola, Pomfret

Do all towns have representatives on the ECFiberNet committee?

All towns listed as “initiating towns” have representatives that have attended meetings. Most have been approved or authorized by their select boards. The “initiating towns” are the ones with active broadband committees at the time the project was started. Any towns can nominate members to the ECFiberNet committees.

Why a consortium of towns? Can’t we go it alone?

The cost of a network hub and other infrastructure make this prohibitive. To be viable, a network needs to serve a minimum household base of approximately 10,000. (See list of participating towns).

What role is foreseen for the towns themselves?

Town Selectboards will nominate representatives to a newly formed legal entity. That joint municipal entity will arrange the financing, Towns will cosign for a portion of the lease based on their relative population and will share in profits in proportion to the number of subscribers in their area. That entity will contract with a “build, operate, transfer” company, which initially will be ValleyFiber, a division of Valley Net.

Would towns need to vote to join?

Legally, the select boards can sign onto the project without the consent of the voters. The consensus of the select boards, as well as ECFiberNet, is that it would be preferable for the voters to have a chance to vote on the project. However, should the Select Board in any particular town decide to use its legal right to do so, it could proceed without a vote.

Would ECFibernet own the assets, (the fiber lines, etc.) Would the various towns own ECFibernet or would there be other partners?

Technically, the financier would own the assets, leasing them to the new joint entity. Once the lease is paid off, the towns would own the network in the same proportions as their capital lease allocation.

How is ValleyNet involved?

ValleyNet is a 501(c)(3) non-profit that brought local Internet access to the Upper Valley in 1994 and managed over 6,000 local dial-up customers before exiting the dial-up business in January 2006.

ValleyFiber, a division of ValleyNet, is serving as the umbrella organization that would design the regional network, would draft the necessary legal documents, finance the initial organizational effort (legal fees, etc.), obtain financing for the project, and then build and manage the network. ValleyNet is also studying an effort to provide computers and Internet access to those members of our communities with limited resources (for example, all children older than middle-school age who qualify for free school lunch.)

Who will run this network?

Although it will be owned and controlled by our local towns, the installation, maintenance, and operation of the network will be contracted to a private entity. Initially, ValleyNet of White River Junction, VT, will manage the startup of the network, through its new venture, ValleyFiber. Over time, the participating towns can decide whether, collectively, to take over operations themselves, stay with ValleyNet, or choose another operator.

Is the network in Underhill /Westford/Jericho up and running?

Not yet. That project was about a year ahead of ours. However, with the decision by Burlington to postpone expansion, they are now back in a similar position to ECFiberNet and are considering other options, including joining with other towns in their region to build their own network.

How will we know whether we have enough demand to make this work?