In follow up to a prior posting, we now have a date for the next community meeting to learn about ECFiber's plans.
Anyone interested is invited to a meeting to inform the community about ECFiber's plans for our area in 2014 and to participate in how the plan unfolds. The meeting will be Nov 14 at 7 pm at the home of Carol and David Jarmy (4013 Rt. 14, S. Randolph). Presenters will include Irv Thomae, Chairman of ECFiber Governing Board, and Stan Williams CFO of ValleyNet, which manages ECFiber operations.

For those of you not yet aware, Randolph, Braintree, and Brookfield are among 24 member towns in the ECFiber consortium, whose goal is to offer affordable fiber optic broadband to every home or business address in our service area. This community owned enterprise so far is serving about 450 subscribers, mostly in Barnard, Bethel, Royalton, Strafford, and Vershire but the towns served are expanding rapidly.

We have accepted a small grant from the Vermont Telecommunications Authority to serve two addresses in the southeast corner of town (on Crocker and Kingsbury Rds). Thus, we are committed to bringing fiber at least that far, and that work should be completed by mid-2014.

The purpose of this meeting (probably one of several over the next few months) is to increase community awareness, and identify people interested in becoming subscribers and/or investors. We need both if we are going to succeed. The planned route will be from the Waterman Rd hub in Royalton, north along Rt. 14 at least as far as Crocker and Kingsbury Rds. All residences and businesses along that route will be offered service. From there, routes are not yet planned and will depend largely on where there is interest. Extensions into Brookfield and Braintree are certainly feasible with sufficient interest.

For more information about ECF, go to: http://ecfiber.net/

So, join us and help this community owned project unfold. Please respond to me by email if you plan to attend, have ideas or questions.

Jerry Ward
ECFiber representative from Randolph
728-6521
gurche@gmail.com