Vermont's Kicking It Old School - Draft Horse Style

Fred the Belgian and Owner Claude Desmarais

Vermont has long been known as one of the WORST states to be in if you want Internet connectivity.  Cell phone coverage too, for that matter.  Not surprising, as some outlying areas of the state did not even have electricity until 1964.  Frankly, who needs it when you've got a state as beautiful as Vermont is?

Well, Governor Shumlin's "Connect Vermont" initiative aims to change their status as low man on the connectivity totem pole.  Vermont's rugged terrain proves challenging at times, but local telecom companies have used typical Vermont ingenuity to figure out a solution to their problem.  They employ draft horses to drag the fiber-optic cable they need to set up their networks.

Yep.  Old school technology to get the newfangled stuff up and running. Gotta love it.  Good ol' Fred here and his owner Claude Desmarais are laying cable up to 7 days a week, up to 4 seasons a year, rain or shine.  When you think about it, this low tech approach fits in with the Vermont eco-ethic as well, as clearly Fred does less damage to the environment than a team of bulldozers would.

Atta boy, Fred!