Montpelier, Vermont – Vermont Community Broadband Board (VCBB) grantees NEK Broadband Executive Director Christa Shute and Waitsfield and Champlain Valley Telecom (WCVT) Vice President of Industry Relations Roger Nishi will testify on Wednesday, May 17, 2023, at 3:00 before the U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry; Subcommittee on Rural Development and Energy. The hearing is entitled, “Rural Broadband: Connecting our Communities to the Digital Economy.”
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has a series of important broadband programs geared to the most rural areas of America where it is most costly to build and operate broadband infrastructure. True high-speed internet is fundamental for effective participation in our nation's economy, healthcare, education, and personal job success, as well as access to federal and state services, the political process, and community engagement.