Six Ways To Get High Speed Internet Access
There are 6 kinds of internet service available
in Vermont today: DSL, Fixed Wireless, Cable, Satellite, Fiber, Mobile Wireless.
The information below may help you find an ISP that can service your location with high speed internet access.
1. DSL via twisted
pair copper telephone lines
Local/Regional Providers:
There are eight independent telephone companys in Vermont:
Check the service territory map at Vermont Public Service (Map) to see who covers your town. If they don't currently offer DSL to your location, ask
when and if service will be available. Ask what it costs to update
the lines to your neighborhood and think about how you and your neighbors
can encourage them to bring service to you.
Franklin Telephone
www.franklinvt.net
1-802-285-9911
Power Shift Online
www.pshift.com
1-877-949-7767
Shoreham Telephone
www.shoreham.net
1-800-496-3391
Sovernet
www.sover.net
1-877-877-2120
TDS Telecom
www.tdstelecom.com
1-888-634-8410
Topsham Telephone
www.tops-tele.com
1-802-439-5325
VTel
www.vermontel.com
1-888-242-7584
Waitsfield & Champlain Valley
www.wcvt.com
1-800-496-3391
National Providers:
FairPoint:
www.fairpoint.com
800-400-5568
If DSL service is not available in your area:
Ask to be notified by email when it is. Ask what you can do to speed up their efforts to cover your road. Suggest to your unserved neighbors to do the same.
2. Fixed Wireless via radio waves from terrestrial towers
Wireless ISPs sell high speed Internet access:
Speeds vary from these providers. Some are very, very fast, others not very fast. Wireless can be sensitive to local conditions.
Local/Regional Providers:
APC Services
www.apcservices.biz
1-800-936-9522
Cloud Alliance
www.cloudalliance.com
1-877-949-7767
Finowen
www.finowen.com
1-603-298-9510
GlobalNet
www.surfglobal.net
1-800-809-6665
Great Auk Wireless
www.gaw.com
1-877-220-2873
Green Mountain Wireless
www.gmwireless.net
1-888-663-9044
Kingdom Connection
www.kingdomwireless.net
1-800-398-9705
Power Shift Online
www.pshift.com
1-877-949-7767
Ripton Coop
www.ripton-coop.net
1-802-388-2960
Southern VT Broadband Coop
1-802-694-1573
Vermont Wireless
www.wirelessvt.com
1-802-861-2491
WaveComm
www.wavecomm.com
1-800-928-3266
3. Cable via coaxial cables
Contact your local cable provider and ask about their internet services.
If you live near their areas and are not covered, ask what you and your neighbors can do to encourage them to build out to your neighborhood. They may respond to you offering to pool neighborhood resources to help defray the upfront cost of extending their current network or try all committing to a multi-year triple-play plan or paying a year in advance. If nothing else works, just ask to be put on a waiting list. Ask your neighbors to do the same.
Local/Regional Providers:
Burlington Telecom
www.burlingtontelecom.com
1-866-304-8434
Duncan Cable TV
www.duncancable.com
1-800-266-2278
Southern Vermont Cable
www.svcable.net
1-800-544-5931
Stowe/Jeffersonville Cablevision
www.stoweinternet.com
1-802-253-9282
Trans-Video
www.trans-video.net
1-802-485-3811
Waitsfield Cable
www.waitsfieldcable.com
1-802-496-5800
National Providers:
Charter
www.charter.com
1-888-438-2427
Comcast
www.comcast.com
1-800-266-2278
4. Fiber to the Home (FTTH) via glass fiber cables
Local/Regional Providers:
Burlington Telecom
www.BurlingtonTelecom.net
1-802-540-0007
5. Mobile Wireless via radio waves to and from cellular towers
National Providers:
AT&T
www.att.wireless.com
1-888-333-6651
Sprint-Nextel
www.sprint.com
1-800-SPRINT1
US Cellular
easyedge.uscc.com
1-888-944-9400
Unicel
www.unicel.com
1-800-462-3558
Verizon Wireless
www.verizonwireless.com
1-800-256-4646
These services require that you have strong cellular coverage at your
house, that you purchase a small cellular data card, and insert it into
your PC to access the network. If you are not covered, ask to be notified
when service becomes available. And don't forget to suggest the same to
your unserved neighbors.
6. Satellite via radio waves from geosynchronous orbiting satellites
For some remote locations Satellite is currently the only solution available. It is straight forward to deploy as long as you have an unencumbered view of the southern sky. Satellite is sensitive to bad weather and foliage, both things we have a lot of here in Vermont. Satellite can be very slow if you do a lot of uploading; for general surfing it is acceptable. Commitments of a year or two are common so be sure that satellite is what you want.
National Providers:
HughesNet
www.hughes.com
1-301-428-5500
StarBand
www.starband.com
1-800-4STARBAND
WildBlue
www.wildblue.com
1-866-945-3258
Other Options
If you have no affordable coverage available from any service provider at your location, here are some other options:
Contact the Vermont Telecommunications Authority at 802-828-1788 or email info@telecomVT.org
Consider filing a complaint with the Public Service Department by visiting their web site, or call 802-828-5262. Share your concerns with them.
Contact the Vermont Association of Planning & Development Agencies VAPDA.
Consider registering your location and your connectivity status at the Vermont Rural Broadband Project by entering your information in their state registry.
Call a meeting of your un-served neighbors and consider purchasing a T1 connection or installing antennas and receivers in your town. Some towns are organizing fiber to every residence. If you have technical neighbors, you could become your own ISP.
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This document is available online as a printable PDF at: Six Ways to Get High Speed Internet Access
For more information, contact the
Vermont Telecommunications Authority at: info@telecomVT.org
For more information about the
Vermont Telecommunications Authority
visit our website at: www.telecomVT.org
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