Rural Broadband Farm Forum Brochure

VTel Announces Launch of Rural Broadband Farm Forums

Free computer and digital literacy training available

Pilot digital literacy classes (“Rural Broadband Farm Forums”) were conducted in Mount Holly and Hartland. Pictured above are William Baker, Bessie Centini, and Evelyn Haskell from one of the Mount Holly classes conducted by Tess Gauthier in June.

(Springfield, VT)– Vermont Telephone Company today announced the launch of a series of ‘Rural Broadband Farm Forums’ to provide community members with free training on how to use computers and the Internet.  Small, informal computer training classes are now available upon request, to be held at local libraries and schools throughout the company’s service area.

People who would like to organize a small group of friends and neighbors to host a Rural Broadband Farm Forum can call VTel at 800-279-4049 to request additional information.  Trainings will be conducted by VTel staff and by Community Technology Coaches, who are trained community members who specialize in transferring digital skills.

“Rural Broadband Farm Forums are aimed at teaching people what computers and the Internet can do for them,” said Tess Gauthier, VTel’s Community Broadband Team Director. “Classes range from the basics to more specific topics, such as uploading and sharing photos, emailing, and online shopping,” said Gauthier.

Last year, VTel was awarded two grants under the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act to expand high-speed Internet service to every last one of its customers, with a billion bits per second fiber-to-the-home connections in VTel’s service area and wireless mobile broadband in Vermont’s underserved areas.  Engineering for these projects is underway and construction will begin soon.

“Our digital literacy initiative is just one piece of VTel’s comprehensive plan to bridge the digital divide in Vermont,” said Gauthier. “Our rural broadband adoption model includes not only the expansion of our broadband network to Vermont’s underserved areas, but also includes a commitment to build digital skills within our communities.”