Community Broadband

2021 Grants

Age-Friendly Communities of the Lower Kennebec, to provide tablets, support and connectivity to area seniors via partnership with National Digital Equity Center, Bath Housing and Bath Senior Citizens Center: $9,240
Greater East Grand Economic Council, to complete the needed funding for the GEGR's Phase 2 Feasibility Planning: $5,000
Lubec Community Outreach Center, to purchase equipment that will provide access to internet, technology, education and connectiveness to community members, organizations, groups and businesses: $14,549
Mahoosuc Community Broadband Committee, to complete broadband planning project, present findings and recommendations by hosting community-wide meetings in 6 member towns, keep residents informed with quarterly mailings: $11,281
Somerset Economic Development Corporation, to implement a county-wide collaborative forming four geographic working groups who will work together towards improved broadband service and leverage funding opportunities: $15,000
Town of Chelsea, to conduct a town-wide needs assessment among residents and business-owners, improving access to affordable broadband, and increasing community digital literacy: $2,500
Town of Newcastle, for a regional broadband design and community engagement process to bring fiber to the towns of Newcastle and Damariscotta: $4,900
Town of Nobleboro, to conduct a community-wide needs assessment, facilitate community education and engagement, develop an equitable, cost-effective plan to address broadband connectivity: $5,000
Town of Trenton, to improve broadband affordability and accessibility, enhance digital literacy and equity, and improve systems that promote civic engagement via remote pathways: $8,742
Town of Penobscot Broadband Committee, to prepare the community for broadband with digital literacy workshops, bringing community events online, and access to an equipped community internet space: $10,000

2020 Grants

Alexander Broadband Project, to help offset the cost of providing high-speed internet service to residents and joining Downeast Broadband Utility: $10,000
Greater East Grand Broadband Task Force, to complete the funding match for the phase 1 ConnectMaine project and provide funds to prepare the ConnectMaine phase 2 infrastructure grant application in 2021: $15,000
Opportunity Center of North Franklin County Inc., to begin implementation project resulting from county-wide broadband plan, running Fiber-to-the-Home in six of thirty-six communities: $10,000
St. George Community Development Corporation, to sustain the administrative support, community education, and grant preparation efforts to address the well-defined and delineated “last mile problem” in St. George: $9,735
Town of Denmark, to engage residents in broadband goals, starting with committee outreach and ending with a network design project to expand presently poor broadband coverage: $6,000
Town of Fryeburg, to implement a community-involved process to plan for the eventual build-out of reliable high-speed internet to serve area residents: $5,000
Town of Harrison, to establish or upgrade affordable, accessible, and quality broadband service to the entire community: $4,500
Town of Lisbon, to create two public WiFi "hot spots" in strategic locations in Lisbon to enable universal internet connectivity and enable entrepreneurial and youth and adult educational initiatives: $2,950
Town of Litchfield, to provide affordable broadband to the unserved or underserved while improving the digital literacy of the community: $7,000
Town of Naples, to conduct a town-wide community needs assessment to determine if residents and business owners have adequate access to broadband internet services: $10,000
Town of Searsport, to install community access hotspots to provide wireless broadband internet access to residents, businesses, and visitors to the downtown area: $12,568
Town of Vinalhaven, to design and implement a campaign to explore community preferences for local broadband options and rally support behind a chosen solution for universal affordable access: $10,000
Western Kennebec Lakes Community Broadband Association, to develop a community outreach program, conduct community surveys, review proposals and negotiate with internet service providers to improve services in the region for underserved/unserved customers: $15,000

2019 Grants

3BIB (3 Bridged Islands Broadband) Company, to assist municipalities of Georgetown, Arrowsic and Southport develop an Interlocal Agreement and acquire grants for fiber to the home broadband system: $10,550
Bucksport Regional Health Center, to assess how virtual care technologies in rural Maine communities are used, address healthcare access and digital disparities, and support digital health collaboration: $15,000
City of Portland, to establish Wi-Fi services for low-income homeless families in emergency shelter which primarily serves asylum seeking families at this time: $11,814
Intercultural Community Center, to provide access to computers and basic computer literacy courses for local immigrant populations to build resource skills for economic and social integration: $15,000
Island Commons Resource Center, to provide a high-speed internet connection to the Island Commons for use by staff, caregivers, visiting specialists, residents and the community: $10,000
Monhegan Island Sustainable Community Association, to establish an affordable internet access subsidy program that will enable year-round island residents to obtain quality internet service regardless of income: $6,000
Our Katahdin, to provide staff support for the Katahdin Region Broadband Utility and technical capacity for negotiating fiber network implementation and ownership contracts: $10,000
Town of Monson, to provide the town of Monson with downtown Wi-Fi to facilitate continued growth: $7,000
West Kennebec Lakes Community Broadband Association, to complete broadband planning project and present findings by hosting 2 community-wide meetings in all 6 member towns: $15,000