I’ll think of you at 11:11.
2023-11-11
Dear friend,
The Armistice of November 11, 1918 took effect at 11:00 a.m., ending the Great War.
Armistice Day eventually became Veterans Day in the U.S. Whenever I look at the clock and it's 11:11, I think of the sacrifices of veterans. I think of one veteran particular, who died before I had a chance to meet him but whose story I got to know through his children.
I'll call him John. He served in Korea and Vietnam, before settling down into a life as an air-traffic controller. Not an easy life but he was contributing and raising a family. Then John's union, the Professional Air Traffic Controllers Organization (PATCO), called for a strike. The whole episode is worth reading about for the impact it had on America through the 1980s and since.
In August 1981, President Reagan fired 11,345 striking air traffic controllers and banned them from federal service for life. This devastated many of the now-former air-traffic controllers. They not only lost a job but an entire career path and years of their life invested. John later killed himself.
Sometimes politics gets so toxic that I want to tune it out by thinking, "It doesn't make a difference who we elect." When I feel that way, I think back to why I am involved. One person I think of to strengthen my resolve is John.
By the way, here's a good article, helping to understand and prevent suicide: Things You Should Know About Suicide.
***
Here's an update on DV Fiber, our town-owned broadband Internet utility.
Fiber is coming, though the schedule has changed again...
DV Fiber held a launch party on Thursday in Readsboro.
Here is Rep. Laura Sibilia recounting the long history of community action that led from one meeting to another to where we are today, with 46 Readsboro customers lit up with community-owned high-speed broadband.
Congratulations Readsboro! Thank you to every DV Fiber volunteer, including all the board members who attended today's event to celebrate the milestone.
"We did it ourselves," said Laura. Former Rep. Ann Manwaring made the same point -- recounting a key meeting in Whitingham at which gears started in motion.
Rep. Laura Sibilia (Dover) celebrates the moment.
We decided that fiber is a utility that we need in small towns in Vermont, and we made it happen. How did we do it?
"Persistence and patience" are the needed traits to stick with a project like this through the ups and downs, said DV Fiber Chair Steven John of Marlboro.
Persistence and patience. Remember that.
DV Fiber recently updated its public buildout schedule as follows:
Readsboro (2023)
Stamford (2023-2024)
Whitingham (2024)
Halifax (2024-2025)
Marlboro (2024-2025)
All other DV Fiber member towns are more than two years out
The new schedule represents a shift for the utility to a more town-to-town focus. The previous schedule had Halifax starting in 2023 and being built out through 2024 and 2025. That meant that just about anyone in Halifax could imagine ourselves getting in early.
I corresponded via email with Executive Director Gabby Ciuffreda of DV Fiber about the construction schedule. I told her that in Halifax we were working to remain patient and enthusiastic about DV Fiber.
Here's what Gabby said about why DV Fiber, which is a communications union district (CUD), had updated its schedule.
We are trying to balance several aspects of our business, some of which are competing interests. We are focused on maximizing our revenue, which is why we have re-ordered our construction plan - so that we can garner as much revenue as quickly as possible to ensure financial sustainability. Constructing town by town should also be more cost efficient for managing construction costs and makes sense from a logistical perspective. Other Board members feel that going town by town also makes the messaging clearer so that there isn't confusion or consternation that one part of a town gets access to broadband years before another section of town.
We are also balancing the fact that we are in a competitive environment but we want to provide as much information about construction to our member towns as possible. Other CUDs have had commercial carriers come in and poach their service areas when they announced their next serviceable addresses more than 30–60 days in advance. We are trying to remain flexible with construction timing in case we need to change our construction plans due to funding requirements, unforeseeable delays like poles needing additional work before we can hang our fiber on them, and potential supply chain delays. All of these items factored into the decision that it would be best for the CUD as a whole to re-order its construction schedule.
Any questions? I think Gabby covered the issue well.
Personally, I switched from HughesNet to Starlink a few months ago. I was able to test sky exposure with the Starlink app before ordering (which is not to say that I did test it). Fortunately, we found the sky we needed over the pasture. Eating the $600 equipment cost was worth it for a lower monthly cost and improved reliability.
There's no long-term commitment, so I'm ready to switch to DV Fiber when they do come.
If you're out there in southern Vermont and interested getting DV Fiber the minute it comes to your neighborhood, here's the form: https://dvfiber.net/service-availability/
Making sure that DV Fiber hears from you will help them roll it out efficiently.
***
From the can-do spirit in the room in Readsboro, I wondered if it was any coincidence that our communities are building our newest form of connection out of fiber?
Someday I'd love to visit the Q'eswachaka bridge in Peru. It's a rope bridge woven out of local fibrous grasses. Hundreds of these bridges once connected Andean communities -- this is the only one surviving today. (Here's a video on it.)
This bridge has been used for centuries, and it is rebuilt new every year. The surrounding Huinchiri and Ccollana communities get together, about 700 men and women, and reweave every component. The rebuilding takes place as a ceremony over four days, completed with food and dancing.
Community is all that matters. When we come together as a community on a project like DV Fiber -- really bringing together a broad group of all kinds of people -- we learn we can do anything, particularly if we do it together.
I love and appreciate this community. Thank you for being out there and for doing your part.
warm regards,
Tristan Roberts
Quill Nook Farm
P.S. Here's a favorite moment from the party for Lewis Sumner last Saturday, Lauren Andersons singing "I'm Feeling Good" to Halifax residents and friends of all ages.
