Cumberland County (Maine) working to provide models for municipal broadband networks

Cumberland County (Maine) is in the process of creating a playbook that communities could use to develop their own municipal broadband internet networks. The county issued a request for proposals for a community broadband study that would cost up to $25,000, funded by a federal Community Development Block Grant. A handful of potential bidders already have expressed interest in performing the study. The purpose of the study is to create a set of guidelines for communities that want to build their own broadband networks in collaboration with neighboring cities and towns, said Cumberland County Director of Public Affairs Travis Kennedy. The problem Cumberland County is trying to solve is that building a municipal broadband network is risky, expensive and complicated, especially if a town tries to go it alone.