DANVILLE — NEK Broadband has announced the expansion of its fiber optic internet service to over 700 new addresses across multiple towns in the Northeast Kingdom, improving high-speed internet access in underserved communities.
The latest growth in service encompasses parts of Danville, Kirby, Lyndon, St. Johnsbury, Walden, and Wheelock, raising the total number of addresses served by NEK Broadband to over 2,100.
Some locations are already enjoying the new service, with further expansion slated for the coming weeks.
Residents in the specified areas can visit https://get.nekbroadband.org/ to check if their address is included in the expansion and pre-order service.
NEK Broadband’s internet service is delivered through fiber optic cables, offering speed tiers ranging from 50Mbps to one gigabit, with no data caps and symmetrical upload and download speeds.
Local resident and nurse Leann from Concord shared her experience, stating, “Getting NEK Broadband was a real game changer for me and my life. Now, with the reliability and speed of NEK Broadband’s internet service, I can stay home and do it.”
Christa Shute, Executive Director of NEK Broadband, expressed enthusiasm about the project’s progress. “We’re so pleased to end the year by giving more residents of the NEK access to high-speed internet,” Shute said. “We plan to bring even more residents online in early 2024.”
The upcoming year will see additional service rollouts to parts of Barnet, Burke, Concord, Danville, East Haven, Groton, Hardwick, Lunenburg, Lyndon, Peacham, Ryegate, Sutton, Walden, and Waterford.
Funding for these new service areas comes from federal grants provided by the Vermont Community Broadband Board.
NEK Broadband operates as a Communications Union District, representing every town in Caledonia, Essex, and Orleans counties, as well as Wolcott in Lamoille County.
This community-led initiative aims to provide high-speed broadband to every address with existing electric utility service while operating as a non-profit entity, reinvesting customer revenue in infrastructure and improving affordability for local residents.
