For people living in rural communities, the crucial need for connection to the online community can often be a hit-or-miss proposition. Modern goods and services of the information age have proven an essential part of everyday life for those who live in areas where a doctor’s appointment or run to the store can take up the entire day. Vermont’s Northeast Kingdom (NEK) is one of five national Rural Economic Area Partnership (REAP) zones, meaning it has Congressional recognition as economically underserved, and as a result, is eligible for special funding. NEK Broadband, a Communications Union District (CUD), leads the effort to bring high-speed broadband to the NEK.

Vermont’s CUDs feature resourceful local volunteers with different backgrounds, all trying to solve the riddle of implementing rural broadband. Among other activities, NEK Broadband Executive Director Christa Shute applied her legal expertise and resourcefulness to the task of applying to federal grant applications. Through her leadership and vision, the CUD secured a USDA Rural Business Development Grant in August, 2021 to extend fiber into the Concord and Waterford, VT. In May, 2023, on the day Shute gave congressional testimony about the obstacles of getting broadband to rural areas, USDA obligated a $17.4 million ReConnect grant to NEK Broadband.

In August, 2024, NEK Broadband merged with CVFiber, a CUD serving Central Vermont, to combine 71 Green Mountain towns under one service provider, NEKCV. Leaders on the NEK Broadband board from the town of Groton worked with Shute to find more federal funding, and their partnership paid off. More than half the town population will know the benefits of reliable high-speed internet, thanks to further collaboration between NEK Broadband and the USDA. In September 2024, RD obligated $2.84 million through a Community Connect grant, furthering the momentum to build out fiber networks throughout the region and keep rural residents connected.