Vermont is moving closer to universal broadband internet access, officials say, as the state’s Community Broadband Board released a proposal last week to allocate nearly $180 million in federal, state and private funds for broadband infrastructure projects.

The bulk of the funds have been made available to Vermont through the federal Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment, or BEAD, program. If the proposal is accepted by the federal government, rates of access to broadband internet will rise to 99% statewide through these grants, according to Community Broadband Board Executive Director Christine Hallquist.

The board, which was formed in 2021 to advance broadband access in the state, has faced a number of challenges in crafting the proposal, including bureaucratic delays and the high

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