Otter Creek CUD celebrates Fidium Fiber expansion, and a future with fiber
More than 28,000 homes and businesses in Rutland County region can now access multi-gig speed internet, as Otter Creek CUD communities are named Gig Towns
CASTLETON, Vt. — Oct. 30, 2024 — More than 28,000 homes and businesses in the Rutland County region now have access to future-proof fiber internet from Fidium Fiber. Otter Creek Communications Union District (CUD) celebrated the completion of fiber expansion in partnership with Fidium during a ribbon cutting on Tuesday. Otter Creek CUD was named an official Gig Community during the event, with towns where fiber expansion was completed being named Gig Towns.
Otter Creek CUD communities now have access to Fidium Fiber’s multi-gig speed all fiber network. This comes just 12 months after the CUD received a grant from the Vermont Community Broadband Board (VCBB), and just five months after Consolidated Communications began construction to expand its Fidium Fiber network. Fiber expansion comes to an additional 6,900 homes and businesses in Rutland County, including more than 1290 previously unserved locations. Between grant funding from VCBB and private investment by Consolidated, this project represents a more than $10 million investment to expand fiber connectivity in the Rutland County region, including for Brandon, Castleton, Chittenden, Fair Haven, Goshen, Hubbardton, Mendon, Pawlet, Pittsford, Poultney, Rutland City, Rutland Town, Shrewsbury, Sudbury, Wells, West Haven and West Rutland.
“Through our website and by word of mouth, Otter Creek has heard the excitement and almost disbelief that thousands of homes in the very rural, very mountainous areas of our district are gaining access to world class high-speed fiber internet service,” said Laura Black, chair of Otter Creek CUD. “Not to mention that the internet service is offered at an affordable cost, and the service is brought directly to homes at no cost, in nearly every case. Fidium Fiber has already proven to be a high quality and reliable service, so Otter Creek is truly proud of our partnership with Consolidated and we look forward to maintaining this partnership for years to come.”
“Vermonters have waited, and now it is happening. More than 50% of Vermonters now have access to fiber internet, as the CUDs, Fidium and all the other partners around the state have pulled out all the stops to expand fiber,” said Rob Fish, deputy director of VCBB. “This isn’t just an infrastructure project, this is a rural development project. As time goes on, yes, we are seeing how fiber brings education, telehealth and remote learning opportunities, but that is just the first step. Fiber is going to help Vermonters age in place, it's going to have implications for our clean energy future, it is a tool that can help us revitalize Vermont communities now and in the future. I want to thank Fidium for recognizing that having a community partnership is a good and important thing, and that these partnerships will continue. This is only the beginning.”
“When we build in Vermont, as these partnerships come through, we have so much pride in connecting our communities to the future,” said Jeffrey Austin, vice president of Network Planning and Fiber Build Strategy for Fidium Fiber. “Our partnership with the Otter Creek CUD is an incredible example of how collaboration is key to achieving universal service as quickly as possible. We’re proud of this effort and look forward to continuing to build a future with fiber throughout Vermont.”
When combined with previous expansion in 2021, more than 28,000 homes and businesses in Rutland County can now access Fidium Fiber, with its all-fiber network spanning more than 823 miles. Between grant funding from Otter Creek CUD and VCBB, combined with investment from Consolidated, more than $24 million has been invested in Rutland County to expand fiber access.
Fiber broadband drives economic growth, in particular for rural communities, increasing business growth by 213% and leading to 44% higher GDP. For individuals, fiber access resulted in self-employment growth of 10% and increased per capita income by 18%. Fiber also increases real estate values, as single-family homes with fiber access have a 4.9% higher value than those without.
Otter Creek CUD is the third CUD in the last year to complete fiber expansion in partnership with Consolidated. SoVT CUD became the first in the state to reach universal service coverage in 2023, and Lamoille FiberNet celebrated fiber expansion at a ribbon cutting event on October 24. Chittenden County CUD announced approval of a $2.1 million grant from VCBB earlier this year, marking the fourth CUD to partner with Consolidated for fiber expansion in Vermont. Today, more than 118,000 Vermont homes and businesses have access to Fidium, with additional availability coming soon across the state. Residents and businesses may register to learn more and get updates about future service availability at FidiumFiber.com.
Fidium Fiber delivers multi-gig-speed internet without contracts, installation fees or data caps. All Fidium plans offer reliable, symmetrical speeds from 100 Mbps to 2 Gigs (2000 Mbps). Fidium Fiber also offers VoIP phone service plans, and features speeds that allow customers to seamlessly stream their preferred TV and entertainment. Fidium recently was named in the Top10 providers for Real-World Speeds by BroadbandNow and earned the CNET Best of 2024 recognition for fiber providers.
For small businesses and entrepreneurs, Fidium@Work delivers the same reliability and flexibility with multi-gig speeds and additional robust business features to help businesses stay connected.
Fidium representatives will be visiting the community soon, taking part in local events and sharing more information about service options and availability. To learn more and sign up for Fidium today, visit FidiumFiber.com. Follow Fidium at Facebook.com/FidiumFiber, Twitter.com/FidiumFiber, Instagram.com/FidiumFiber and YouTube.com/FidiumFiber.
About Otter Creek Communications Union District:
The Otter Creek Communications Union District (Otter Creek CUD) exists to bring connectivity solutions that support municipalities in and near the Regions of Rutland, Vermont. We are a municipality formed according to Vermont statute 30 VSA Chapter 82 and governed by volunteer representatives from each of our seventeen member towns and the city of Rutland.
About Fidium Fiber
Fidium Fiber is a customer-centered, consumer fiber broadband service offering symmetrical multi-gig speeds and exceptional service. Fidium is available in California, Illinois, Maine, Minnesota, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, Texas and Vermont with new locations available daily. Fidium is a brand from Consolidated Communications Holdings, Inc. Consolidated is a leading broadband and business communications provider serving consumers, businesses, and wireless and wireline carriers across a 20-plus state service area. Learn more at FidiumFiber.com.