Maine ranks 24 in the nation for high-speed internet access, but it is dead last in New England. New census data indicate that that rate varies widely among the state's counties.
New England has some of the highest rates of broadband access in the nation with New Hampshire and Massachusetts in the top two positions, between 87 and 89 percent.
Just under 83 percent of Mainers have a subscription to broadband internet at home, and that number is lower in rural areas. Piscataquis County has about 16,000 residents spread over the 4,400 square miles, and lowest rate of at-home broadband in the state at just under 70 percent.
In populous Cumberland County – home to 300,000 people in a 1,200 square mile area – nearly 90 percent of households have high-speed internet at home.
The numbers reflect a longstanding difficulty throughout the country. Maine has struggled to get broadband access to its more remote parts for some time. Governor-elect Janet Mills is promising to make expansion a priority in in her administration.
