Consolidated Communications now offers 2 Gbps symmetrical service to more than 3,000 homes and small businesses in parts of rural Maine. The deployment was funded, in part, through money awarded to the company and to the Maine Connectivity Authority.
The funding came through the Broadband Infrastructure Program administered by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA). That program targeted public/private partnerships such as the one between Maine Connectivity Authority and Consolidated.
Consolidated and Maine Connectivity won a $18.3 million grant in the program, which targeted unserved rural areas.
The program was highly competitive, with funding requested far exceeding the budget for the program.
Consolidated Rural Maine Buildout
The areas where Consolidated announced service today include Rangeley, Dallas Plantation, Rangeley Plantation and Sandy River Plantation. Other areas where the partners won funding include Blue Hill Peninsula and the town of Farmington.
“Fidium Fiber will be a game changer for these rural communities bringing new employment opportunities, economic development benefits, access to telehealth, educational impacts and of course, all the entertainment made possible by reliable, high-speed internet,” said Sarah Davis, vice president of government affairs at Consolidated, in a press release.
The news about the new areas served comes not long after Consolidated won an additional $17 million in funding for broadband buildouts in Maine. The funding came through the Maine Connectivity Authority’s Connect the Ready program.
