Workers in manhole
16 Jun 2020

Maine Asks Voters About New Funding for Internet Infrastructure

by | Date: 16 Jun 2020 | posted in: MuniNetworks | 0 Facebooktwitterredditmail

In less than a month Maine will hold a Special Referendum election which includes a measure with significant ramifications for Internet access in the state. On July 14, Mainers will be asked to vote Yes or No on Question 1, a $15 million Internet Infrastructure Bond Issue designed to bring high-speed service to the approximately 85,000 households in unserved or underserved areas. The $15 million in general obligation bonds would join $30 million in matching federal, private, and local funds and go to ConnectME to provide funding for broadband projects with an emphasis on unserved or underserved areas.… Read More
23 Oct 2018

Rural Internet Access a Top Issue in Maine Election

by | Date: 23 Oct 2018 | posted in: MuniNetworks | 0 Facebooktwitterredditmail

As Election Day draws near, voters in 36 states and three territories are set to choose governors. In Maine, gubernatorial candidates are making rural broadband a key issue. All four candidates agree that the state needs to be involved in some way, and each recently gave the Press Herald a summary of their plan to expand high-quality connectivity to constituents, if elected.… Read More
24 Jul 2018

City Council in Maine Declares Internet Essential Infrastructure

by | Date: 24 Jul 2018 | posted in: MuniNetworks | 0 Facebooktwitterredditmail

While smaller communities in Maine are laying plans to develop community broadband networks for high-quality Internet access, the state’s third largest city indicated a shift in how they view fiber optic connectivity. At a recent city council meeting, Bangor elected officials passed a resolution declaring, “Fiber and access to the Internet is an essential service in the City of Bangor, Maine.”… Read More
12 Jul 2018

Maine Community Moves Internet Project Forward with Incremental Financing

by | Date: 12 Jul 2018 | posted in: MuniNetworks | 0 Facebooktwitterredditmail

The City of Sanford, Maine, is putting the final pieces of funding in place to move forward with its ambitious 45-mile fiber optic build, SandfordNet, the largest fiber infrastructure build proposed in Maine to date. Along with two other funding sources, the project will be financed by an existing Tax Increment Financing (TIF) district in downtown Sanford. According to the Journal Tribune, the project will cost $2.02 million in total to complete; that figure is higher than initially projected, due in part to fees to access utility poles.… Read More
25 May 2018

Small Maine Town Seeks Information on Local Broadband Possibilities, References Need for Rural Internet Access

by | Date: 25 May 2018 | posted in: MuniNetworks | 0 Facebooktwitterredditmail

Over the past year, towns in rural areas of Maine have mobilized and are taking steps to improve local connectivity. The latest is the community of Penobscot, where the local Broadband Committee recently released a Request for Information (RFI) to seek out firms interested in helping them bring broadband to the coastal community… Read More
27 Apr 2018

Rural Maine Towns Join Forces to Build Their Own Broadband Utility

by | Date: 27 Apr 2018 | posted in: MuniNetworks | 0 Facebooktwitterredditmail

There are about 3,000 residents in Calais (pronounced “Kal-iss”) and 1,500 in Baileyville, but according to Julie Jordan, Director of Downeast Economic Development Corporation (DEDC), many of those residents are aging and younger people find little reason to stay or relocate in Washington County. The community recognizes that they need to draw in new industries and jobs that will attract young families to keep the towns from fading off the map.… Read More
11 Apr 2018

ILSR’s Stacy Mitchell Discusses the Future of Retail on Maine Calling

by | Date: 11 Apr 2018 | posted in: Media Coverage, Retail | 0 Facebooktwitterredditmail

Things are constantly changing in retail, from the death of some big-box stores to the growing threat of e-commerce to the re-emergence of local independent businesses. To sort all of this out, and what these vast changes mean for the state of Maine, the show “Maine Calling” from Maine Public Broadcasting aired a show featuring ILSR’s co-director and the director of our Community-Scaled Economy initiative Stacy Mitchell to answer questions and set the stage.… Read More
27 Sep 2017

Verizon Will Cut Off Rural Subscribers In Thirteen States, You Listening FCC?

by | Date: 27 Sep 2017 | posted in: MuniNetworks | 0 Facebooktwitterredditmail

A recent proposal being considered by the FCC that has raised the loudest outcry has been the status of mobile broadband in rural areas. Now that Verizon is discontinuing rural subscriber accounts, the FCC will be able to see those concerns come to life. Dear John… The company has decided to cut service to scores of customers in 13 … Read More

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