Running Fiber-Optic Cable to Rural Communities Is Part of Maine’s Ambitious Broadband Plan

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Governor Janet Mills (D-ME) has pledged that everyone in the state who wants high-speed internet will be able to get it by the end of 2024. Laying fiber cable to remote regions is the first phase of making good on that promise. Maine’s 2020 Broadband Plan estimated the total cost to build out 17,502 miles of fiber-optic or coax cable to currently unserved areas would be at least $600 million. To advance digital equity for all Mainers, regardless of ZIP Code, in 2021 the state created the Maine Connectivity Authority, a quasi-public agency, to leverage state and federal investment in broadband infrastructure through partnerships with private providers and rural communities. Maine was recently awarded a $5.5 million “Internet for All” planning grant to plan for the deployment and use of affordable high-speed Internet service throughout the state. According to the Maine Connectivity Authority, the $5.5 million is just one piece of almost $250 million in federal Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act funding Maine will most likely receive.   


Running Fiber-Optic Cable to Rural Communities Is Part of Maine’s Ambitious Broadband Plan