Back To The Capital

Six months ago I took RF field strength measurements in front of the Vermont Statehouse in Montpelier. They ranged between 100 and 200 millivolts per meter. Today, with the legislature back in session, those numbers have jumped to around 400 millivolts per meter, with spikes approaching 850 (0.85 Volts per meter).


Governor Peter Shumlin - Vermont Edition - 1/3/2012

We're taking the federal dollars that we got through the stimulus money, and it's an unprecedented number of dollars per capita for Vermont. We got more than anybody. Our congressional delegation just did an extraordinary job, but it's literally $400 million. We're partnering that with some private sector dollars to get to the areas that no one else will serve. We have streamlined the permit process so that we can get the towers and the coverage that we need, the technology in place to make it happen.

We will have every last mile for broadband internet access by the end of 2013, and that's a promise. We're going to do that by driving fiber as deep and wide as we can, and then we're building a wireless canopy that's going to get us the rest of the way. That won't be permanent. Over time, I'm sure fiber will be driven in those communities, but it's going to get access and good speed to every community in Vermont, to every home. That's really important.

So that's the goal. We're partnering with our utilities; their extraordinary buildout on Smart Grid. We're partnering with our private providers and we're making huge progress.