Maine Broadband Access -- Back to the Future

I last posted to this blog in 2011.  Then I took a "break".  Well, actually I pretty much abandoned the blog.  From being a retired man of leisure, I got a part-time job, and subsequently a different job. And the gardens and orchard that I started in prior years demanded more and more attention. 

But honestly, the arrival of workable DSL on my little road removed that strongest of motivations: self interest. 

Well, I've had 7 years to catch my breath and to  observe the progress, and the lack of progress, in the availability of broadband throughout Maine.  And for that matter, within the little town of Northport, Maine. 

Part of the town has access to decent DSL.  I'm luck enough to be near a phone company distribution box and therefore get bonded VDSL 80 Mbps download speed and 30 Mbs upload speed.  Further from the box, 10 Mbps down and 1 Mbps up are more typical. 

But the striking thing is that the inland portions of Northport may in many cases have no DSL available at all.  Add to that lack of a cable network option in the town and there are a lot of have-nots right here within hailing distance of the coast of Maine. 

Many other rural areas of Maine experience this "Swiss cheese" pattern of coverage and lack of coverage.  Many of the agencies responsible for promoting better access to broadband are still working with an inadequate picture of these gaps.

Because of this kind of problem, municipalities and groups of citizens around the state have initiated an ever expanding number of local projects.  It is an exciting time. 

Locally, I've become involved with a group of Northporters in search of new approaches to the broadband access problem in our community.  So, it is time for research and learnng.  I intend that this blog document what I learn about the evolution of broadband services in Maine, emerging  commercial and technological options, the organizational alternatives and pretty much anything else that seems relevant.

Stay tuned...