Report says regional municipal broadband utility in Maine is viable

A regional, municipal-owned broadband internet utility in Maine is viable according to a report from Axiom Technologies, a consultant hired by the local communities. The January 2022 report focuses on the creation of a utility to serve the four core communities of Rockland, Camden, Rockport, and Thomaston (ME). In June 2021, the charter towns of Camden and Rockport formed, by an inter-local agreement, a non-profit, regional broadband utility called the Midcoast Internet Development Corporation. In addition to the two charter towns, the development corporation added Rockland and Thomaston as initial partners. The estimated initial construction cost for the project to serve the four communities is $15.8 million. Financing could come from federal, state, and other grants, private investors, the Finance Authority of Maine, Coastal Enterprise Inc., The Island Institute, The Alfond Foundation, and The Maine Community Foundation. The project is viable — even at relatively low take rates,” Axiom stated. The report estimates in the first year, 2,800 customers would sign up for the service, which would increase in subsequent years. The internet corporation’s goal is open access that meets minimal symmetrical speeds of 100/100 megabits per second with capabilities to reach 1,000 megabits, and the new service is available to every home and business in the community.