New fiber-optic project to bring network connectivity to county

Redundancy is not a word usually associated with good business practices, but for telecommunications it is considered healthy. "We want redundancy for reliability," says John Porter, public relations manager for the Three Ring Binder collaborative. The project will utilize a U.S. Department of Commerce grant of $25.4 million, plus approximately $7 million in private funds, to build "three rings" of fiber-optic networks in rural Maine, one of which will be in Washington County. The goal is to increase Internet access in areas of Maine that have been underserved by creating a "backbone" for Internet providers and others to build upon.

The fiber-optic network

Downeast Maine will gain a significant number of new lines, notes Susan Corbett, founder and president of Axiom Technologies, based in Machias. "Building additional fiber networks will build for the future in the county. It's a pretty aggressive project," she says. "We won't have to pay exorbitant prices to provide broadband. Once the fiber is in, it means everyone will benefit in the county. This is a very, very good thing for rural Maine."

Porter explains that a new company is in the process of being formed, Maine Fiber Company, which will be the owner of the high-capacity fiber-optic network. Companies such as Axiom and Pioneer Broadband of Houlton would buy services from Maine Fiber Company.

"It should stir up some competition in lower population communities," says Timothy McAfee, chief technology officer of Pioneer Broadband. However, McAfee notes that the newly formed company "has a lot of work to be done before anyone can utilize this. It's going to take some time to get those 1,100 miles of fiber-optic down." He expects that Maine Fiber Company will put out requests for proposals for various legs of the project and that a number of companies will be involved in the installation of the lines.

The Three Ring Binder website, <www.threeringMaine.com>, shows a map of the additional fiber-optic lines that will be built. The fact that the lines do not go into communities such as Lubec and Eastport should not cause concern in those communities, says Porter. "The pipeline is meant to help carriers. The real thing is how then carriers make use of it." He explains that currently providers of Internet services in Maine "have to figure out how to connect to Bangor or to Portland. With this plan, there will be much closer connection points."

McAfee says, "Until the costs are known, we can't be sure of what's going to happen, but lower cost is a goal." He adds, "The most important thing is people should look forward to increased offerings. The project will open doors to faster connectivity."

Connecting communities

Maureen Glidden, Lubec's town administrator, notes, "Lubec is served to a point, but when you get right out of town, it gets difficult and very expensive. I'm sure fiber-optic would help attract businesses. If we could work with a partner to provide better services, we would be interested."

ConnectME Authority Executive Director Philip Lindley says that communities like Lubec "could step forward tomorrow and apply for a grant" with his governmental organization. He explains that many communities have joined forces with "eligible partners [carriers] to supply the community." He cites Edgecomb and Steuben as two communities that recently worked with ConnectME on just such projects. "Our funding is like gap financing," he says.

The Sunrise County Economic Council can play a role in facilitating such projects, says Executive Director Harold Clossey. "We do have the capacity to help explore needs and wants, what can be done, the right organizational partners." He notes that SCEC was supportive of the Three Ring Binder proposal. "The key to economic development is the foundation, like telecommunication infrastructure," he says. "This should be good for consumers because companies will want to hook into this. Competition is good."

Washington County does have some fiber-optic already in place, says Corbett, but it is considered "unlit fiber" because it was never connected. "One of the conundrums is finding out where the fiber is," says Porter.

The ConnectME Authority has begun a statewide mapping project utilizing federal funds that should help, reports Lindley. "The authority is required by the legislature to find out where broadband is located and more importantly where it isn't," he says. The mapping project will result in an infrastructure map that will be web-based and that will be updated quarterly. "Ideally it will tell you who the providers are in your area. It will tell me which areas are underserved C I could then put an RFP out for those areas." Lindley adds, "The map will be used to measure our progress. We're using public money; we want to demonstrate that it's worthwhile."

Corbett is enthusiastic about the wider implications of the project. "Fiber connects networks," she explains. "It's the backbone. Distance learning will increase educational levels and educational opportunities." She notes that the project will greatly expand the capacity of healthcare networks through telehealth services. In a press release, Porter wrote that the system will enable the university system to expand its own high-speed data networks to 10 campuses, including University of Maine at Machias.

The routing of the fiber-optic lines should start in the spring, says Porter, depending on the weather. "It should be functional by the end of the year and completed by the middle of 2012. We'll build it, but then the market will build on that. It's not something that will turn on and suddenly everyone will have broadband. It will be up to the markets to build on it."