broadband

The Maine Connectivity Authority has announced that it's searching for vendors to help design and build a 530-mile fiber optic network through parts of central, northern and eastern Maine.

The Maine connectivity authority is launching a month-long survey to find out who needs help accessing high-speed internet service

According to new analysis commissioned by the Maine Connectivity Authority, the workforce gap of software developers, fiber splicers, engineers and others could grow to more than 4,500 workers, depending on how federal and state dollars are invested in Maine during the next few years.

The analysis from Aroostook Partnership and county commissioners details exactly what areas in the county are unserved or underserved. It also mapped more than 36,000 homes and performed broadband speed tests to look for coverage gaps.

Sen. Angus King, who announced the funding along with White House officials Thursday, said the funds should help connect about a quarter of Maine households that currently lack high-speed internet.

While mailers and locally-targeted digital ads by Alliance for Quality Broadband may have helped convince Southport and Readfield residents to ditch their municipal broadband proposals, a full accounting of its electioneering activities and funding sources is not possible because the vast majority of Maine towns do not require campaign finance reports by groups influencing local referendums.

Some towns are considering municipal-run networks that would reach residents who haven’t had access. But in some cases, they're encountering opposition funded by the same big internet service providers that have long refused to expand their networks.

The House and Senate both voted to create the Maine Connectivity Authority, a group that would be charged with expanding universal high-speed internet access and telecommunications infrastructure.

The American Rescue Act provides $17 billion for rural broadband improvements and expansion, and to address the digital divide for students. Independent…

Maine’s independent senator has joined a group of colleagues in calling for the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to make it easier for tribal…