VT Libraries Benefit from FiberConnect Project

摘要

The Vermont Telecommunications Authority (VTA) and Sovernet Communications last month announced the completion of the Vermont FiberConnect Project, bringing gigabit Internet service to 43 of the state's libraries in the mostly rural counties of Bennington, Caledonia, Orange, Rutland, Washington, Windham, and Windsor via a 900-mile network of fiber-optic cable. Previously, most of these libraries relied on residential cable broadband service, provided for free as part of an agreement between Comcast and the state. Although this type of service was adequate for some of the smallest libraries, many others had been facing growing strains on bandwidth, Vermont State Librarian Martha Reid told LJ. Gigabit networks, offering Internet speeds up to 50 times faster than typical residential service, are still relatively uncommon in this country, although Google is currently rolling out fiber -networks in Austin, TX; Provo, UT; and Kansas City (MO and KS). And municipalities including Chattanooga and Lafayette, LA, implemented their own gigabit networks with community utility companies.