Broadband update: What to know about the status of fiber internet rollout in Colchester
Fidium Fiber is expanding its fiber internet offerings in Colchester
COLCHESTER — Fidium Fiber is expanding its fiber internet offerings in Colchester.
The expansion follows last year’s project and coincides with a large rollout in nearby Milton.
Fidium’s latest construction project in the area began mid-September and will bring multi-gig service to over 5,700 homes and businesses across Milton, Colchester and Georgia upon completion.
Kyle Thweatt, senior communications specialist for Fidium Fiber’s parent company, Consolidated Communications, told the Sun the parts of Colchester included in the ongoing expansion project are in the area around Chimney Corners, along U.S. Route 2.
Thweatt said Fidium is now available to over 110,000 locations in Vermont, and area fiber expansion last year had already brought access to over 7,000 homes and businesses in Chittenden County, including over 1,200 in Colchester.
How much of town can now access high-speed internet?
Last time the Sun covered the subject, fewer than 1% of occupied properties in Colchester — or 51 total occupied properties — were still considered un- or underserved by the state in terms of high-speed internet access. Town Manager Aaron Frank identified exactly 0.78% at that time.
This figure is inclusive of both 32 year-round properties and 19 seasonal camps. It does not account for anyone who has their own high-speed satellite internet service, which are more challenging to track in totality and with certainty.
While we know the general number of un- and underserved occupied properties is relatively low, Frank told the Sun more recently that the town isn’t in a position to answer conclusively about the offerings of internet companies.
However, Thweatt said with the completion of Fidium’s current expansion this year, over 700 additional spots in Colchester — including at least 38 Colchester homes previously considered un- or underserved — will gain access to multi-gig speed fiber internet from Fidium Fiber.
Based on the general project area map, the current Fidium expansion appears to be working to cover much of the Chimney Corner and Niquette Bay region, where a good portion of previously un- and underserved addresses were, according to Frank’s complete list of those properties.
Frank’s comprehensive list was largely composed of a combination of addresses on Niquette Bay Road, Camp Kiniya Road, Cliff Road, Clay Point Road, Grandview Road and areas nearby.
By Thweatt’s soon-to-be-refreshed count, just around 13 occupied properties should still remain un- or underserved in Colchester following the completion of Fidium’s current construction, based on the number provided by Frank at the time of our last reporting.
The Colchester properties among the about 662 not previously un- or underserved likely already have access to high speed internet through broadband offerings from other telecommunications and internet providers. For them, Fidium’s current expansion simply diversifies provider options.
By the state’s most recently-publicized counts — which are as of Jan. 1, 2023, and only include Enhanced 911 addresses, or addresses associated with phone numbers used to determine the location of a caller in the event of an outgoing 911 dial from the address — Colchester’s connectivity has been looking quite promising since well before the current Fidium expansion.
Hunter Thompson, director of telecommunications and connectivity with the Public Service Department, told the Sun zero residential E911 addresses in Colchester are still underserved.
Properties are considered unserved if their internet access had service speeds of less than 4/1 megabits per second, and underserved with service of less than 25/3 Mbps. The state is in the process of crunching and mapping the 2023 numbers, and while close, they are not ready yet.
Since Jan. 1, 2023, 904 or 13.7% of E911 addresses in Colchester are served by 100/100 speed internet or better; 98.5% or 6,490 are served 100/20 or better; 98.8% or 6,511 are served 25/3 or better; 99% or 6,520 are served 25/3 or better; and 100% are served 4/1 or better, Thompson said. Once updated to current-day data, access and speeds might be even stronger.
Still, these figures don’t account for any occupied properties that might be lacking E911 status — and it’s possible this accounts for the discrepancy between Frank’s and Thompson’s counts.
Regardless, Fidium’s current expansion is likely to bring a higher-speed internet than what is currently available to people in the northern region of town.
Rob Fish, deputy director of the Vermont Community Broadband Board, said the VCBB is aware that Fidium Fiber under Consolidated Communications has been building out extensively in Colchester this summer. He said the VCBB is unaware of other providers currently serving Colchester with fiber specifically.
Though the state does not track provider-by-provider breakdowns as to who is serving what percent of each town with fiber network based internet, it is likely other companies offer similar coverage to certain Colchester addresses.
For example, a Burlington Telecom receptionist informed the Sun their company also offers high-speed fiber internet to some addresses in Colchester.
What high-speed internet options are available to me?
One way to figure out what internet options might be available to you would be to call up individual providers and ask about your address, or input your address into the Fidium, Xfinity, Burlington Telecom, Comcast and other providers’ plan availability web features.
Also of note is the Federal Communications Commission launched a national broadband map last year, covering both on- and off-grid locations. It was most recently updated in June, with data last collected as of December of 2023. Newer data will be released in the next few months.
The data is viewable down to the individual location. Providers who serve each location, as well as the technology and speed of internet available, is available by navigating the map.
Zooming in on the Chimney Corners area, it does appear there were some un- or underserved regions for fixed broadband coverage at the time of last data collection, pre-ongoing-Fidium expansion. The FCC does not disaggregate data on the basis of the individual town level.
Click here to explore the data available on this map.
Fish recommends filtering out any unlicensed wireless or satellite providers from map results.
Any location in Colchester still lacking access to reliable 100/20 Mbps speed — cable or fiber — will also be eligible for the upcoming Broadband Equity Access and Deployment program.
This competitive program is open to all providers of reliable broadband service, be they fiber, cable, or license wireless — with all-fiber projects being given preference.
If any location cannot be served by those technologies, Low Earth Orbit Satellites, such as StarLink, Viasat or Hughesnet, are also options.
The subgrantee selection process will begin later this fall. Full details are at the above link for the program. A list of eligible addresses in Colchester will be posted early this month and be based on the FCC map. Vermont state officials expect it to be under 100 addresses.
Also last month, the VCBB unanimously approved a staff proposal to develop a new Long Drop Program later this year to get low-income Vermonters living over 400 feet from the fiber line on their road to overcome additional costs of connecting to that line.
The program will provide funds to qualified Vermonters to cover the extra cost to connect those living over 400 feet from the fiberline that runs along their road, including underground drops. Depending on the length, that cost can be up to several thousand dollars for aerial drops, and higher for underground drops where required, like in manufactured home communities.
The fund for this initiative will be made up of $2.5 million of remaining American Rescue Plan Act Capital Projects Fund that has been returned to the VCBB after some of the broadband buildout projects came in under budget, and $1.5 million from the Connectivity Initiative, a Vermont program that awards grants for extending service to underserved areas.
The VCBB is in the process of developing the program and plans to issue a request for proposals toward the end of the year. To comment or make suggestions about the program, email Robert.Fish@Vermont.gov or call 802-522-2617. More information can be found here.
What can I expect to come of Fidium’s latest project?
For Fidium’s current expansion, new fiber optic lines will go in along roads and in public utility areas, requiring some digging and climbing of utility poles by installation crews, who will work along the edge of private properties within the public right-of-way and public utility easements.
Crews are aiming to minimize disruption and move quickly, as well as clean up after themselves. The work may require some temporary traffic detours, noise and dust, as well as paint markings or temporary flags placed in areas where construction is active.
Fiber broadband is considered the best internet service delivery method among 63% of U.S. consumers, as it boasts faster upload and download speeds compared to other connection types and brings related benefits to the businesses and homes of many.
“We have seen how fiber has transformed communities, connecting residents and businesses to opportunities not previously accessible,” said Jeffrey Austin, vice president of network planning and fiber build strategy at Consolidated Communications.
“Over the next several months, we will be working to expand our multi-gig speed all-fiber network and upgrade locations to access our future-proof fiber internet,” he added.
Construction will predominantly impact Milton, though it will likely touch some parts of northern Colchester, as seen in the general area displayed at this link. The construction process is expected to be completed by the end of the year.
To check your address for service availability from Fidium specifically, visit fidiumfiber.com. Visit fidiumfiber.com/expanding for more information about the construction process or to sign up for updates. Residents with specific construction questions or concerns may call 1-877-769-4771.