Don't miss the big stories. Like us on Facebook. The Southern Vermont Communications Union Districtâs long-in-the-works feasibility study has been approved by the state, the district boardâs governing chair said. Jeff Such, the boardâs chair, said at a March 24 meeting that the organization, which is working toward bringing fiber-optic internet to the region, will now turn to developing a business plan, which wonât be finalized until the district has lined up an operating agreement with a private-sector partner. The feasibility study and business plan are supported by a $60,000 grant from the Vermont Department of Public Service that was awarded last year. The now-completed study, developed by Alex Kelley of Rural Innovation Strategies, Inc. and Carole Monroe of ValleyNet, recommended that the district join forces with the adjacent Deerfield Valley CUD or partner with incumbent carrier Consolidated Communications, which is expanding its fiber network in Vermont with federal support. The district may also explore a third option not reflected in the study, according to Such, who described a potential âRoute 7 corridor fiber networkâ that would extend north from Bennington County into Rutland and Addison counties.