RBC Service Status

The Ripton Broadband Cooperative is a local, member-owned and operated network with:

• Member-elected Board
• Local Service Provider Partners
• An antenna on the Natural Turnpike, with additional access points
• Home connection equipment

Connectivity is beamed up wirelessly from Middlebury by very low-power radios between antennas, then relayed to a smaller antenna at your location. Your connection to the Internet is up to 60 times faster than dial-up.

Why a Co-op?

In a small, isolated community like Ripton, there aren’t enough potential subscribers to create a business model—that is, enough profit—for commercial providers to invest in a network. But a community-based non-profit can attract help like the $25,000 grant from the Vermont Broadband Council that Ripton was awarded. Middlebury College is also helping by generously sharing its facilities. Any excess income that is generated can be reinvested in system upgrades, or used to reduce subscriber rates, or both. And, by law, the Board must return a portion of the profits to member-stockholders each year there is an excess.

A coop is about community involvement. Unlike a business, the co-op has the goal of fast internet access for all members of the community. You and your neighbors control your connection to the world!

How to Join

If you’re a Ripton resident and want access, you must buy a $200 share of stock in the co-op. That share means you own a piece of the co-op and the network. It also entitles you to vote for members of the Board of Directors and in important issues of co-op governance. One member, one vote. Basic installation of the subscriber equipment costs a flat $150. There is a monthly subscription fee, which depends on access speed and whether you're a residential or small business subscriber—residential runs from $40 to $55 and small business from $45 to $75 per month. That’s it. You don't pay for the subscriber equipment individually, it belongs to the co-op.

RBC email sign-up form
for members

[pdf, 40 kb]