Affordable high-speed internet
for all residents
Republican Journal: Four-town broadband coalition prepares to apply for state funds | Kendra Caruso, July 12, 2023
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Dream it
Republican Journal: Four-town broadband coalition prepares to apply for state funds | Kendra Caruso, July 12, 2023 〰️ Dream it
NEWS REEL:
Who we are
The Towns of Winterport, Frankfort, Prospect, and Stockton Springs formed a joint committee to seek initial interest in proposals from Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to assist the Towns in building an affordable High-Speed Fiber-To-The-Premises, FTTP and FTTB (Network) to cover approximately 147 road miles and 2,146 total household and business locations in the boundaries of the Towns.
Happening Now!
Towns are working with Direct Communications, formerly known as UniTel, who just recently worked with their partners the towns of Brooks and Waldo and were awarded a Connect the Ready grant by the Maine Connectivity Authority (MCA) to facilitate the construction of high-speed broadband service in the towns of Brooks and Waldo. Their past experience in applying for these grants, their local knowledge, and their rural business focus has lent itself well to the process and both the towns and DC are eager to get started providing business and residential customers access to world-class broadband speeds and data connections for ongoing operations and future growth.
The towns of Frankfort, Prospect, Stockton Springs, and Winterport (1A Waldo Broadband Coalition) worked with Direct Communications to apply for a Connect the Ready grant but were not included in that funding round. We are proud to announce that the work continues just the same and we have applied for a grant from the Penobscot Estuary Beneficial Environmental Projects Trust and continue to work in close partnership with the MCA exploring other funding options that are being made available in CY24.
Shown here, the Town of Prospect unanimously votes in commitment to bring affordable, high-speed internet access to their town!
“Banks of Winterport” used with permission by local artist Lindsey St. Jean Lindseys.bigcartel.com
What is our status?
Since the committee was formed, we have been working hard to explore avenues of approach to get high-speed internet to all residents. We have met with several prospective ISPs, other community leaders who have taken this path, and engaged with industry experts. Check out our timeline to learn more about what we have done so far.
How can you help?
This is a community focused, community driven project. It is critical to the success of this project that we have community support and engagement through all stages. To make our grant application both strong and compelling, we want to include testimonials and stories from the community, both individuals and businesses. Please take a moment to read through testimonials we have already gotten and share your own!
Learn about the Free Speed Test
Please help the State’s ConnectMaine Authority and the Maine Broadband Coalition (MBC) better assess areas for wired access to the internet and specifically Broadband speeds/capacity.
This initiative seeks to challenge FCC’s inaccurate mapping data for Broadband. Remember that the FCC identifies Landline Broadband as 25/3 Mbps (State of Maine identifies it as 100/100Mbps). The FCC identified Cellular Broadband as Only 5/1Mbps.
Learn more about Broadband
Why broadband? Why now? What’s in it for me?
It’s a lot to navigate and we get that, we compiled a list of links to help you navigate and find the answers you need to know.