Community Mesh Network in Rural Vermont
How a small town built their own Internet infrastructure, keeping connectivity local and community-owned.
The Challenge
When broadband providers repeatedly bypassed their rural town, residents of Hillside, Vermont faced a choice: wait indefinitely for corporate infrastructure, or build their own.
The Solution
Using Citinet’s local-first architecture, the community established a mesh network powered by household nodes. Each participating home became both a user and a provider—sharing bandwidth, hosting local content, and maintaining network resilience.
How It Works
- Distributed Hosting: Community announcements, local news, and shared calendars live on resident devices
- Private Communication: Encrypted messaging stays within the network—no external servers required
- Resilient Infrastructure: No single point of failure; the network adapts as nodes join or leave
Impact
120+ households connected within the first year. Internet costs dropped 60% compared to satellite alternatives. Local content loads instantly, and the community now controls its own digital infrastructure.
“For the first time, our Internet works for us—not a distant corporation. We own it, we maintain it, and we decide how it grows.”
— Sarah Chen, Green Mountain Connect founding member
Key Learnings
- Start small: Begin with a core group of 10-15 motivated households
- Hybrid approach: Use existing ISP for external connectivity while building local infrastructure
- Community ownership requires clear governance—establish decision-making processes early