AUGUSTA — The Maine Legislature’s Energy, Utilities and Technology Committee voted Tuesday to advance a bill introduced by Rep. Robert Saucier (D-Presque Isle) to expand broadband access to rural parts of Maine.
Many Maine farmers and businesses in rural areas struggle to complete all the necessary work required for their business because they do not have high-speed Internet access. The proposed legislation would expand access to high-speed Internet throughout rural Maine.
“Broadband is severely limited in areas like Aroostook County and other rural parts of Maine,” said Saucier. “There are many farms, homes and local businesses that would benefit from faster and higher-quality Internet.”
The committee voted 9-3 in support of the measure, with one member absent.
Saucier said about 80 percent of Maine households are underserved. Some completely lack Internet access and others don’t have sufficiently fast Internet to allow for tasks like video-conferencing with work colleagues, taking an online class or using telemedicine technology to consult with a specialist.
Currently, 97 percent of American consumers look online for goods and services but 59 percent of Maine’s small businesses don’t have a website, according to Scott Levitan, director of marketing at Google.
Jim Gerritsen, who runs Wood Prairie Farm with his family in Bridgewater, testified in support of the legislation at its public hearing last spring. They grow Maine certified seed potatoes and are reliant on Internet access because 75 percent of their orders come from over the web. However, their Internet service is faulty.
“Unreliable Internet is hurting our business,” said Gerritsen. “In the middle of our peak shipping season, our Internet was down for the entire day. We could not download orders, process credit card transactions, print shipping labels, track packages or manage online banking.
“We kept our crew of 10 working, but the next day when service was restored, we had twice as much to do,” he said. “Poor Internet service costs our company $10,000 a year in lost productivity.”
The bill would increase ConnectME’s funding an additional $1 million a year through the general fund. The ConnectME Authority is a unit of Maine state government whose mission is facilitating universal availability of broadband to all Mainers and helping them understand the valuable role it can play in enriching their lives and helping their communities and businesses thrive.
“It is time to provide adequate funding for the ConnectME Authority,” Saucier said. “Much-needed grants would provide last-mile connections so that family farms, small businesses and the people of Maine can be connected to the rest of world in this global economy.”
Maine currently has a 1,100-mile statewide fiber optic network called the Three Ring Binder Project, which can be accessed by carriers and service providers locally to connect Mainers with broadband. The network extends to western, northern and Downeast Maine, but many communities lack the infrastructure to utilize the Three Ring Binder.
Other supporters of the bill include the Aroostook County Farm Bureau, the Maine Farm Bureau, New England Farmers Union and the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association.
LD 826 faces further votes in the House and Senate.
