FORT FAIRFIELD, Maine — Fort Fairfield officials are taking steps to expand Internet connectivity, and they are asking residents to help by providing some information. A survey is available online, and town staff will gather information in person next week in the hopes of obtaining grant funds.
“If we are to compete both locally, nationally and internationally, we have to invest in our Internet infrastructure,” explained Tim Goff, marketing and economic director for the town of Fort Fairfield. “It may not seem like a necessity to some, but a lack of access to high-speed Internet has impacts on our ability to attract new business development and retain young people who demand connectivity at ever-increasing speed to work and play.”
After spending a tremendous amount of time studying the different approaches and opportunities available to improve internet access in Fort Fairfield, town staff have determined that forging private/public partnerships and seeking grants to help cover some of the costs will be the best, most cost-effective and expeditious solution to the problem, Goff said.
When the Internet first came into existence, he continued, it promised to connect people from across the globe; however, the ability for all people to connect from everywhere has proven difficult. Traditional infrastructure has proven insufficient to handle the vast amounts of megabits traveling through wires and conduits. Fiber optic cables, with nearly unlimited capacity to send information at the speed of light, are expensive to install and maintain. This reality has left many rural communities in the dark, with slow to no Internet access in some surprisingly well-populated areas.
Goff described Fort Fairfield as one of those places and said it is not unusual to see people sitting in their cars or trucks outside of the town library so they can use the Wi-Fi to check their email. He estimated 60 percent of the town is unserved or underserved by broadband internet service.
In order to determine the wants and needs of residents, and provide important potential customer data for companies interested in investing in the town’s infrastructure, the town will conduct a survey of residents.
“One of the most important steps for us to take as we begin this process is to query our residents about their current internet access and usage, determine their interest in high-speed Internet service and develop our story to spotlight the competitive disadvantages, lost economic opportunities and other challenges that we face without this crucial investment in our community,” stated Goff. ”This information will play a critical role in explaining who we are, what the need is and why this issue is so important to us.”
To gather the necessary information, officials have crafted an Internet access survey that they encourage all residents to participate in. All answers will be kept confidential. The responses gathered will be used to help craft grant proposals and provide data to companies interested in investing in Fort Fairfield. The survey is located on the Town’s website, www.fortfairfield.org. It can also be completed in person at the Town Office during regular business hours.
In addition, town staff plan to do door-to-door survey work during the week of Aug. 24-28 in select neighborhoods to solicit the data in person. These neighborhoods are part of a grant proposal the town has been working on in partnership with Pioneer Broadband over the past year, said Goff.
The neighborhoods are as follows: Presque Isle Road from the Nordic Heritage Center to Houlton Road; Houlton Road from the intersection with Presque Isle Road to the intersection with Conant Road; Riverside Avenue; North Caribou, Strickland, Murphy, West Limestone, Limestone, Center Limestone, McCrea, Turner, McNamee, Russell and Old East Limestone roads; and Terrace and McGillan drives.
“The goal is to bolster our case and win funding for a project that targets unserved and underserved portions of our community and bring improved access to them as part of this ongoing effort,” added Goff. “I am confident that this important step will help position our community favorably for future projects as we compete for the limited amount of money set aside forIinternet access improvement grants.”
For more information, contact Goff at 472-3802 or tgoff@fortfairfield.org.
