Small Maine Towns Say Public Broadband Money Should Go to Public Networks, Not Corporations

A Republican, a Libertarian, and a Democrat meet over a beer in the small town of Liberty, Maine. Bob Kurek, Joe Meadows, and Phil Bloomstein, each a selectman from their respective towns, may disagree on many issues, but they unanimously agree when it comes to broadband funding: Public funds should support publicly owned fiber-optic networks. Kurek, Meadows, and Bloomstein are three of Waldo Broadband Corporation’s (WBC) five volunteer directors. A not-for-profit Broadband Utility District 30 miles east of Augusta (ME), WBC’s member towns have a population averaging 31 residents per square mile, the lowest town densities in the state. Now planning its second attempt to receive federal funding earmarked to expand broadband service, the WBC believes Maine’s current funding requirements unfairly favor large incumbent providers. Meadows added, “When [the Maine Connectivity Authority (MCA)] gives money to big [broadband providers] like Spectrum to help them build out within a certain town, that frees up money within those companies. They can then go into towns where they’re not applying for a grant to partially extend their network into the more populated areas of communities. They go right down the middle of population-dense areas, taking the low-hanging fruit in that town. We call it hollowing out.” According to Meadows, once this hollowing out happens, the probability of residents living along miles of dirt roads getting service goes to near-zero. Meadows asserted, “MCA, the legislators, and Maine’s governor need to consider these 'big picture' scenarios to a much greater degree if they want every Maine resident to have access to affordable, reliable broadband.” As the next round of funding approaches, broadband advocates watch closely to see what role, if any, the state will take to help hard-to-reach, less affluent towns provide universal coverage at affordable rates.