Vermont officials say a move by the Federal Communications Commission is a great leap forward in efforts to bring high-speed Internet to rural areas.
The FCC vote on election day allows access to the Internet via unused television frequencies, which are abundant in rural states such as Vermont.
Mary Evslin of the Vermont Telecommunications Authority says the FCC decision was innovative.
But Evslin says the new technology won’t be available for some time.
Larry Lackey of Sovernet Communications says the next step is for the market to begin incorporating the technology in computers that is needed to use the frequencies.