Consolidated Communications says that 34,000 homes in Bangor, Portland, Rockland and South Portland, Maine can preorder its Fidium Fiber gigabit broadband service. By the end of the year, more than 150,000 households will have access to Fidium Fiber, according to the company.
The service will be priced at $70 per month, with no bundle requirements, data caps or contracts. The subscription includes installation, whole-home Wi-Fi and the Attune Wi-Fi management app. The app provides network visibility, time-of-day access control, content settings, speed tests and other features.
Fidium, which is available in Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont, is a brand of Consolidated Communications. Consolidated serves business and consumer customers in more than 20 states.
Another Consolidated project in Maine is the result of a public partnership with he Connect Maine Authority, which is partially funding a project to bring service to more than 22,000 addresses in the rural areas of Farmington, the Rangeley area, and the Blue Hill Peninsula. The authority received an $18.3 million grant in February from the National Telecommunications and Information Administration’s Broadband Infrastructure Program. Consolidated is investing an additional $5.5 million in the project.
Consolidated expects more than 70% of its networks to be FTTP by 2025. By the time all of the Consolidated projects in Maine are complete, the company said, it will have service available to 450,000 homes and businesses in the state.
Consolidated is not the only service operator active in Maine. Indeed, it is not the only provider involved in a public-private project in the state. In February, Arctaris Impact Investors LLC said that it would build fiber networks in unserved and economically distressed rural, urban and suburban areas – including Opportunity Zones – in Maine.
The networks will serve about 12,000 residents and businesses in South Portland – one of the areas in which Fidium will be offered – as well as Belfast, Millinocket, East Millinocket and Medway. The public element of the project is from the Finance Authority of Maine (FAME), which is providing 20% leveraged loan insurance and other assistance.
