FARMINGTON – A local effort to improve broadband Internet service throughout Franklin County is moving ahead this month, as organizers continue to seek resident participation in advance of applying for a planning grant.
Economic and community development agencies active in the county are working to expand high speed Internet availability, allowing for the use of voice services, streaming video and a more rapid transfer of data. Appearing before the county commissioners Tuesday, Charles Woodworth and Bob Carlton, of the Opportunity Center of North Franklin County, said that access to broadband would provide more opportunities for businesses, students participating in educational programs and people attempting to access healthcare information from home.
The Opportunity Center of North Franklin County, the Greater Franklin Development Council, the Androscoggin Valley Council of Governments and the Rangeley Economic Opportunity Committee have formed the basis for a grassroots effort that is working together to expand broadband access, beginning with a series of meetings.
Previous meetings have been well attended, Carlton said. The first meeting in Kingfield drew 30 people despite taking place during a blizzard, while a meeting in Rangeley drew educators, business owners and concerned county residents.
The final scheduled meeting on the subject will be held next Thursday, March 29, at 6 p.m. at the Phillips Area Community Center on Depot Street.
The first step in improving Franklin County’s broadband access would be to identify areas that lack high speed Internet and determine what it would take to provide access. To accomplish this, organizers have submitted a request for proposals, seeking consultants capable of mapping out holes in broadband coverage and providing cost estimates to fill them. The effort would take place in both municipalities and the Unorganized Territory.
Organizers are applying for a ConnectME grant to pay for the consultant. Funded by federal money, the ConnectME is a state board that seeks to improve the availability of broadband in Maine. A similar planning grant in Somerset County was issued for $80,000, Woodworth said. Organizers are collecting letters of support in order to bolster support for the eventual grant application.
Commissioners voted to issue a letter supporting the effort. “It’s good you guys are doing this good work,” Commissioner Charlie Webster of Farmington said.
Organizers are encouraging residents, business owners and other interested parties in Franklin County to fill out an online survey, located here. The survey is important, Woodworth said, as it will help the planners identify holes in Franklin County’s Internet coverage. One element of the survey is a speed test which will determine how fast upload and download speeds are at the participant’s location.
This is very important. If Maine wants to get businesses and keep residents here, we need internet that works and is fast. in southern Maine Time warner provides true broadband at very fast speeds. It even reaches close to farmington to about Livermore Falls. But forget it when you come into Franklin county. Beeline needs to step up or sell their assets to Timewarner, or Xfinity. I moved here last summer and I was in an area of the country that 75+MBPS internet was common and was about 70.00/mo Beeline highest wheich is 25mbps is 99.00/MO ARE YOU KIDDING ME?? I am lucky to have their 10mbps internet where I live but I will be moving and don’t know what I will have in my new location. I am a professional, make a good salary and want to stay in the area but I expect the county and businesses to invest in bringing franklin county into the 21st century. It might bring in industry and jobs!
Yes!!!!
My games will be so much faster I will NEVER get off the couch..
Let’s do this!!
Something needs to be done. I live north of Farmington and it’s sad that if I have a paper to send I need to drive to Farmington to find a hot spot. Tonight it took nearly 6 minutes to email an 18 second video that I recorded from my phone! I used Bluetooth to airdrop it to my Mac where I emailed it from. In hindsight I should have used my cellular and sent it from my phone. And if we want to stream something on Roku? Every device has to be on airplane mode. How pathetic is that? Yet I’m paying for the “turbo” speed Internet from TDS. I’ts literally like throwing away over $60 a month. Takes me hours to do what I should be able to do in a third of that time. I considered downgrading but if this is turbo then the lower speed would be like dialup. When I have videos I’d like to u/ll to You Tube I keep them on my iPhone till I’m in the Portland area then u/l them at warp speed.
Beeline is Farmington’s only option if you need the speed for live gaming and watch Netflix without issues so they charge outrageous prices and the customer service is something to be desired . Let’s get some other company in this area soon !
In the woods in Chesterville, I use Hussey Communications from Winslow for a reasonable $38/month. Not super fast but enough for everyday use, and customer service is provided by the owner. I hope such small businesses are not pushed out by the price bullies such as Time Warner.
I disagree with grants (ie taxpayer money) being used to compete with private business. Give the private businesses incentive to expand high speed internet services to these areas. People that live in remote areas should not be asking others to pony up for their own use.
@hmmm, but that’s the problem, there isn’t enough competition! FCC rules regarding cable franchises prevent competition. And it isn’t simply a “remote area” problem. Half way between Farmington and the Quebec border I can get far faster Internet for a much lower price than people in Farmington can get.
I don’t disagree with your sentiment, but right now competition is basically illegal so the existing companies have no incentive to expand.
hmmmm, my wife and I bring in over 2000$ per month and spend it in Farmington/Franklin County. That money would not be possible without internet. Fortunately we have a house in town for now and are able to use Fairpoint.
When we migrate out of town this fall it will become a major issue. I am sure we are not the only business that brings in outside money and depends on internet.
I am not saying that taxpayers should foot the bill, just that a lot of people use internet for other things other than movies and games.
Well, Fairpoint also has high speed internet – a little faster than Beeline, I think. In general though, this is the type of case where a grant or some public money is needed for infrastructure investment. Highways and most infrastructure requires public monies, this is a case where private businesses do not have the incentive to do what is necessary to get rural areas literally up to speed! The money and profits will only be there as businesses move in, recognizing that high speed internet makes doing business here lucrative (low cost of living, low labor costs, etc.). But these businesses won’t come without there being high speed internet.
Scott, Fairpoint does not have high speed internet everywhere. It depends on your phone line as to what speed they can offer. ( so I was told by Fairpoint )
@Tim
It has nothing to do with competition. It simply doesnt make sense fot a business to invest hundreds of thousands of dollars for very little return. Unless of course you get everybody else to pay for it (grant money). Pushing high speed internet into remote areas under the guise of economic growth is laughable. If you want to live out in the country, spend your own money and install satellite service.
Ok hmmm, you pay for your own fire hydrant then. This hick doesn’t have the luxury of having one but I help pay for yours.
Get the State to help pay for it. ( or Feds ) ” it’s for the children “
Sounds like the cable tv situation back in the day, only for the internet. If you wanted reception in outlying areas you had to get a satellite dish.
@hmmm, satellite internet isn’t “high speed”, luckily I don’t need it. I do live “out in the country”, Farmington is sixteen times the size of the town I live in. But I have much faster and slightly cheaper internet service than Farmington does.
From a US Department of Commerce Study ‘Competition Among U.S. Broadband Service Providers’:
“All else equal, having fewer competitors at a given speed is likely to drive up prices.”
Source: http://www.esa.doc.gov/sites/default/files/competition-among-us-broadband-service-providers.pdf
We’re just on the outskirts of Farmington and Fairport can’t provide high speed Internet for live gaming. They told me themselves.
I live in downtown Farmington – so no out in woods.
I pay three time more money, for 1/15th the speed, as compared to some of my work colleagues (in other states). And I can’t even offer to pay more for more speed, because it just isn’t available.
I’m not surprised to either pay somewhat more or get somewhat less, due to not being in a metropolitan area. But we’re talking here about a multiple of 45 (3 times more for 1/15th the speed). It’s just insane. And the slow speed affects my ability to work as well as I could (I am a telecommuter – bringing money into our area).
@ Scott Erb – You’re partly right. High speed internet is, as you correctly pointed out, critical to business development. Fairpoint, however, is definitely NOT considered high speed internet — not by any measurable standard and is not really commercial-grade.
Living in Wilton, less than a few miles from Time Warner’s high speed lines in Jay, my options are slow and unreliable Fairpoint (8MB down for ~$40/mo) or BeeLine, which wants to bundle me with cable to get their internet (at a higher cost and lower speed than Failpoint…)
Waiting patiently for fiber or something near the 25MB down range to come this way, but I think I may croak before I see that happen.
@CP . Are you comparing water to internet? I don’t have a hydrant anywhere near me either. I knew that when I moved there. I sure as hell aren’t going to apply for a grant to get one.
Build a house where there is no power then call CMP to get a quote. Or apply for a grant to others to help pay for it.
I do believe there are businesses in outlying areas that would benefit, but mostly this is for gaming and Facebook fanatics
Plus, I think Fairpoint is installing hubs in remote areas. Relax, you’ll be able to get that useless video on Facebook soon enough.
I used to live in new sharon ,where thrre was NOTHING for internet service or even CABLE! There i used hussey communications as another commenter noted.which was pretty good for running my bussiness on/with. Now living in new portland, again ,there was NOTHING AT ALL. Not even phone service for petes sake,and im right on route 27 just south of kingfield! I called every company i could find looking for Internet service. They all gave a run around B.S. story why or why not they couldnt service the area.JOKE!
Finally after literally 4 calls ,and several ” supervisors” i did get internet through dishnetwork .its not cheap, but i can run my business with it.
But if your very close to sugarloaf where the tower is ,service is great!
While campaigning this fall , one of the biggest issues I was presented with was the need for expanded Broadband connection. This was a concern in Farmington center as well as in rural areas in New Sharon. Self employed and those employed by European corporations expressed the need for better service. I applaud the Commissioners for their support.. We live in a great community that needs more financial input. Entrepreneurs are needed , they need broadband ! Let’s all support this effort.
Hey Scott and Craig here here . I live in new sharon on the crystal vale road and fair point offers Internet but it stops up by the bailey hill road only a couple hundred yards away . I’ve been trying to get it to use on my business and they pretty much said tough @!#/&* that’s as far as we go and are not going any further even after I told them that they would pick up 2 more customers. It’s pretty bad that terrorist can get it but normal people have to sell there soles to the devil to get something.