Telecommunications
On This Page:
Providers ♦ Telecom Plan & Statistics ♦ Service Map ♦ VT Universal Service Fund ♦ Statutes & Rules ♦ Reports ♦ Resources ♦ Telecom Division
Telecom Service Providers
Today's telephone marketplace is highly complex and encompassing a wide variety of services. In Vermont, well over a hundred companies have been authorized by the Public Service Board to provide local telephone service (though many companies are not actively marketing service), and hundreds more are authorized to provide long distance service within the state. Changing technology is bringing further options in the form of wireless service and Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP), which provides a voice communications service similar to telephone service via a broadband internet connection.
Telecom Plan and Statistics
To better understand Vermont’s telecom needs and lay out its plans for meeting those needs, the Public Service Department periodically releases the Vermont Telecom Plan, pursuant to 30 V.S.A. § 202d. The Plan is comprised of the Telecom Almanac, which provides a wealth of statistical and pricing information, as well as the Telecom Survey, which assesses business and residential telecom needs.
Telecom Service Maps
The Telecom Almanac also contains many of the maps used by the Public Service Department (PSD) in assessing telecom service delivery across the state. One major component of the PSD’s mapping work is completed as part of the Broadband Mapping Initiative. Relevant maps from both endeavors can be found in this subsection.
Vermont Universal Service Fund
Consumers of retail telecom services in Vermont are billed a fee by their telecom service providers to support the Vermont Universal Service Fund (VUSF). Service providers deposit the collected fees into the VUSF, which supports programs for low-income and hearing-impaired Vermonters as well as the Enhanced 911 network.
Telecom Statutes and Rules
The Public Service Board sets rules for telecom providers through proceedings in which the Public Service Department participates. This subsection provides links to relevant rules as well as Federal statutes governing telecom providers.
Reports
The report relies on a Telecommunications Market Analysis conducted in course of a proceeding regarding a proposed Alternative Regulation Plan for FairPoint, currently pending before the Public Service Board.
Telecommunications Industry Resources
- Universal Service Administrative Company administers the Universal Service Fund (USF), which provides communities across the country with affordable telecommunication services.
- Rolka Loube Saltzer Associates serves as the fiscal agent for the Vermont Universal Service Fund.
- A Bell Tolls, a source for pricing information about phone service.
- United States Telecom Association (USTA) is a trade association representing local exchange carriers.
- Cellular Telecommunications & Internet Assocation (CTIA) is a trade association representing the wireless industry.
- National Cable & Telecommunications Association (NCTA) is a trade association of the cable television industry in the United States.
- HearUsNow.Org is a telecommunications information project of Consumers Union.
Telecom Division
For more information on the role of the Public Service Department in telecom regulation, visit the Telecom Division page.
