ValleyNet / ECFiber Joint Press Release – FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

ValleyNet Hires Christopher Recchia as Managing Director
05/02/2019 – Royalton, VT

ValleyNet, ECFiber’s implementation partner, announced today that it has chosen a new Managing Director, Christopher Recchia, of Randolph, VT. Chris brings a wealth of non-profit and telecom regulatory experience, most notably as the head of Vermont’s Department of Public Service from 2012-2017. “ValleyNet and ECFiber have created a now-proven model for expanding quality high-speed broadband to rural New England and I look forward to expanding its availability to other areas, as well as bringing ECFiber’s network to its full potential,” Chris stated.

“I’m really excited at the prospect of working with Chris at ValleyNet,” said Irv Thomae, ECFiber chair. “His leadership style is an excellent match with our ‘grass roots’ origins and traditions, and his broad experience working with regulated utilities will be very helpful both in completing our own build-out process and helping other Communication Union Districts follow a similar path.”

ValleyNet board chair Stan Williams added, “We look forward to having Chris on board, as soon as he finishes weaning the bottle-fed lamb that currently follows him everywhere.”

Since 2008, ValleyNet, a Vermont non-profit organization, has been assisting the East Central Vermont Telecommunications District (“ECFiber”, www.ecfiber.net) in financing, building and operating its fiber-to-the-home network in 24 Vermont municipalities. ECFiber now has over700 miles of optical fiber network and over 3,400 customers. By 2020 ECFiber expects to have invested approximately $48M to cover all unserved neighborhoods in its member towns, maintain 1,400 miles of fiber-to-the-home network, and serve nearly 7,000 customers. ValleyNet and its 20+ (and growing) employees in Royalton operate the system under contract to ECFiber, which has no employees of its own. ValleyNet has begun to assist other groups in the Upper Valley to achieve universal broadband coverage in their towns, starting with Lyme, NH.

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https://www.valley.net/about-us/
Contact:
Stan Williams
ValleyNet Board Chair/CFO
info@valley.net
(802) 763-0330