Bridging the digital divide for all Vermonters: Digital empowerment plan kicks off

Vermont Community Broadband Board (VCBB) has kicked off the its Digital Empowerment (DE) Plan, which aims to make sure that every Vermonter has high-quality, accessible, affordable technology resources and knows how to use them.

Vermont’s DE Plan has five parts: research to understand what’s needed, devices for people who need them, a Digital Navigator Program to provide resources and teach digital skills, workforce training to maximize digital opportunity, and grants to organizations representing and serving Vermonters negatively impacted by the digital divide. These grants will support organizations to scale their capacity to provide services complementary to Vermont's Digital Empowerment plan. The goal is to support and improve existing efforts in a sustainable way.

“Our mission is to remove barriers for every Vermonter regardless of their identity, community, or economic or other challenges," said VCBB Digital Equity Officer Britaney Watson. "We believe that everyone deserves to take full advantage of the opportunities reliable broadband provides for so many aspects of everyday life."

In order to meet these goals, VCBB has recently hired Digital Equity Data and Research Specialist Yujie Li. Li has over six years’ experience as a researcher and data scientist in both academia and industry and will be leading the research to learn what barriers Vermonters are facing to be able to effectively and safely get online.

VCBB has also partnered with Rural Innovation Strategies, Inc. (RISI), a Vermont-based social impact nonprofit consulting firm with a multi-disciplinary team of strategists, advocates, and capacity builders to assist with data collection and analysis.

“Our state and country have made this unprecedented investment in broadband infrastructure," said VCBB Executive Director Christine Hallquist. "Now we need to maximize the social impact of that investment and make sure that everyone can benefit from the power broadband has to enhance and transform lives."

Vermont was awarded $5.3 million in federal funding to implement its DE Plan. You can read the DE Plan, including a plan summary and translation into 14 languages and an ASL video summary, at https://publicservice.vermont.gov/vcbb/.

The VCBB also recently announced a new Broadband Technician Pre-Apprenticeship Training in partnership with North Country Career Center. It will be comprehensive training for entry level broadband network technicians. The first three-week course will be offered in Montpelier starting March 26 and is available to participants at no cost.

“Participants can get high paying jobs at the same rate as people that come out with a four-year degree, but you don’t have college debt,” said Hallquist.

The second training course will be in Newport and starts April 30. Both sessions will run for three weeks, Wednesdays through Saturdays 8:30-4:30. They will include OSHA 10, flagging, first aid, CPR, and will cover the safety aspects of working outside in remote areas. They will also cover communication, teamwork, and leadership skills to help advance the participants' careers. All of this is on top of essential broadband skills, which include splicing testing, repairing fiber optic cables, and the basic physics of how broadband works. Bucket truck operations and how to operate this essential tool in a safe manner are also going to be covered. The final piece of this training will be pole climbing.

Employers who are interested in signing up for a lunchtime presentation to the pre-apprenticeship participants, can reach out to Chris Damato at christian.damato@ncsuvt.org to reserve a spot.