DVFiber elects new officers, approves high-level design for broadband network

At its recent annual meeting, the Deerfield Valley Communications Union District (a.k.a., DVFIber) elected three officers for its governing board and five members for its executive committee.

The board also approved a high-level design concept for the district's fiber optic network.

A longtime educator, Steven John of Marlboro was elected chair, having served as vice-chair since the CUD's establishment in 2020.

Former state Rep. Ann Manwaring of Wilmington, who served as board chair since the establishment of the CUD, was elected vice-chair of the governing board. The board also elected Donna Sebastian of Wardsboro as clerk.

The board elected five executive committee members. Phil Edelstein of Whitingham was elected to a three-year term, and Zon Eastes of Guilford was elected to a two-year term. David Cherry of Windham, Munson Hicks of Vernon, and Ellen Seidman of Londonderry were each elected to one-year terms.

The board also approved a high-level design for the 24-town fiber network.

Keith Thompson of Whitingham, the operations committee chair, described a proprietary plan designed by Great Works Internet (GWI), DVFiber's business partner.

As described in a news release, “the design incorporates three interconnected and redundant fiber loops that will provide the infrastructure's fundamental backbone.”

The design includes “secondary lateral fiber paths capable of reaching every location in the district that is connected to the power grid,” the organization continued.

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