Small Vermont town with little access to the Internet uses federal grant to create public wi-fi zone

Residents in the 2,000-population town of Bethel, Vt., need only to go downtown to use free Internet service. "The new public broadband network covers Bethel’s downtown through four access points using equipment that can withstand heat, cold and bad weather. "Each device beams a signal about 200 yards." Caitlin Lovegrove writes for the Daily Yonder. (Yonder photo: Lovegrove shows a member of the Bethel Business Association how to use wi-fi)

The program, funded by a federal grant, helps a town that has limited Internet access. Many people in Bethel don't have Internet, or only have dial-up access, and with the local school's goal to provide each student with a computer, many students who needed to use the Internet either had to stay late at school or go to the local pizzeria, the only public place in town with free Internet, Lovegrove writes.

Lack of Internet is a statewide problem. "While broadband is expanding across Vermont, many people still do not have it in their homes," Lovegrove writes. "Often, the choices for Internet are either satellite or dialup. In addition, even where broadband is accessible, many either choose not to pay for an Internet connection or simply cannot afford to do so." (Read more)

Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) introduced an amendment that was included in the Senate farm bill for a pilot program to test ultra-high-speed Internet in rural communities. The program allows the Rural Utilities Service to invest in up to five gigabit-broadband networks, which are about 100 times faster than the average high-speed Internet, in rural areas over the next five years.