Islesboro OKs first phase of broadband plan
Islesboro voters have approved the first phase of a plan to build a broadband Internet network that is expected to benefit island businesses.
Page Clason, an organizer of Islesboro’s Broadband Working Group, said the phase’s $206,830 expenditure was “overwhelmingly” approved by the nearly 200 residents who attended Islesboro’s town meeting on Saturday.
Saturday’s vote is part of a project that is being negotiated between the town of Isleboro and Biddeford-based GWI, which is expected to run the network when it’s finished. The network is expected to provide speeds of up to 1 gigabit per second.
“The voters of Islesboro just threw a lifeline to the future generations of town residents,” Fletcher Kittridge, GWI’s president, said in a prepared statement. “Everybody knows that Maine’s island communities have been shrinking and growing older.”
“By taking this step, town leaders signaled very boldly that it will be possible for future island residents to raise a family and operate a business in the global economy there,” he added.
Deployment of the network is expected to happen next year, according to GWI. The approved funds will be used for costs related to engineering, acquisition, contract negotiations and the construction vendor selection process.
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