by Mary Grow

China Broadband Committee members spent almost two hours March 4 trying to get their chickens and eggs in the right order – as they repeatedly expressed their dilemma – and came to what has become their usual conclusion: they need more information and another meeting.

Their next meeting is scheduled for 7 p.m. Thursday, March 11.

The committee’s assignment is to expand and improve broadband service in China. Consultant John Dougherty, of Mission Broadband, reminded them why the task is important, especially with more people working from home: neither new residents nor new businesses will be attracted to a town that provides inferior broadband connectivity.

Committee member Tod Detre shared Dougherty’s view. Before earlier localized improvements increased internet access at his house on China Lake, he and his wife had seriously discussed whether they would have to move out of town to continue working, he said.

Committee members agreed on two important factors: the service they recommend must cover all households in town, and it must be able to adapt to technological changes.

The committee has responses from three companies – Axiom Technologies, Sertex Broadband Solutions and Spectrum Community Solutions – to the request for proposals they issued in late December 2020. Committee members discussed the possibility of getting in touch with other companies.

They see three main issues on which they need more information to come up with a recommended plan that will meet town needs at a reasonable price.

• They need to compare the three vendors more adequately. So far they have discussed Spectrum’s offer at most length, and have found a major obstacle.
• They need to get more information on costs and returns and consider how to cover costs.
• And they need to find out with reasonable accuracy how many China residents would sign up for and pay for better service.

They see the three as so interdependent that they could not decide which to attack first. The quality of service will help determine the number of users; the number of users will be a major determinant of income; income will affect costs and how they are paid; costs will affect the number of users; and so the circle goes.

Another point of agreement was that at future meetings, committee members should focus on a single topic. Committee members Detre and Neil Farrington suggested, in no particular order, discussion with Axiom representatives; discussion with Sertex representatives; plans for a community education program; and funding.

Committee member Jamie Pitney, a lawyer, pointed out the problem with Spectrum’s proposal: the town would be expected to fund it through a bond issue, but Spectrum would continue to own the lines, and in Pitney’s opinion state law does not allow a town to bond something it would not own.

The expected revised proposal from Spectrum had been received, but it offered no solution to the legal issue.

Several committee members, without doubting Pitney’s expertise, proposed getting an opinion from Town Attorney Amanda Meader as a more official statement. Janet Preston, the committee’s ex officio member representing the selectboard, volunteered to ask Town Manager Becky Hapgood if there is money left in the current year’s legal account to reimburse Meader.

Committee has been reviewing “very different and very complicated proposals”

by Mary Grow

After their two-hour discussion Feb. 18 (see The Town Line, Feb. 25, p. 3), China Broadband Committee (CBC) members spent more than four hours interviewing representatives of three broadband program vendors, with brief intervals of committee reaction, on Feb. 22; and talked another three-quarters of an hour in a time-limited (to allow another committee to meet) Feb. 24 meeting.

They hoped the result would be a recommendation to China selectmen to choose one of the three vendors with whom to negotiate about expanding and improving broadband service.

Instead, the document they approved unanimously for submission to the selectboard’s March 1 meeting contains information about each vendor’s proposal, with no recommendation to prefer one over another. The three vendors are Axiom Technologies, of Machias, Maine; Sertex Broadband Solutions, of Plainfield, Connecticut; and Spectrum Community Solutions, of Augusta, Maine.

A second document, at committee member Jamie Pitney’s insistence, was a request that selectmen include $25,000 in the 2021-22 budget as a first payment on a broadband development fund that will eventually begin to cover a town share of costs.

One factor contributing to CBC members’ difficulty in getting to a recommendation is that the committee has been reviewing “very different and very complicated proposals,” as committee member Tod Detre said during the Feb. 24 discussion. Axiom and Sertex offer similar programs, building networks from scratch with the town ultimately to own the system. Spectrum’s proposal, until Feb. 24, was to extend its existing system in China and to retain ownership under contract with the town.

Its original plan included China borrowing via a bond, and Pitney, who is an attorney specializing in public finance, doubted the legality of bonding for a contract that would not give the town ownership.

A second reason for delaying a recommendation came up just before the Feb. 24 meeting: committee members received notice from Spectrum that a revised proposal that would result in town ownership was in the works.

Detre asked if the revised proposal was the equivalent of a new or late submission and would therefore justify accepting proposals from other vendors who missed, or requested an extension of, the Dec. 31 deadline that Axiom, Sertex and Spectrum met. The committee majority was willing to see Spectrum’s fleshed-out proposal before answering the question.

Consequently, they concluded they could not recommend either Spectrum nor one of the other vendors until they had Spectrum’s updated proposal.

Some of the information from the Feb. 22 interviews:

• Mark Ouellette, President of Axiom Technologies, said municipal ownership of the system has a big advantage: if townspeople are dissatisfied, they can kick out the service provider and contract with someone else. However, he was confident that if Axiom were chosen, their “world-class service” would attract significant numbers of customers, new ones and Spectrum’s.

Axiom offers tiered service, with monthly charges of $60, $70 or $100. Committee members saw no additional costs. Once the bond proposed to fund the project is paid off, presumably in 20 years, town voters could use the freed-up money for other town purposes or projects or to reduce users’ monthly fees.

• Mike Solitro, President of Sertex Broadband Solutions, said his company provides prompt service in case, for example, a tree falls on a broadband line, by hiring local linemen and technicians to be on call. In post-interview discussion, Detre said Sertex’s monthly fee for users would be around $70, comparable to Axiom’s.
• Ben Topor, Spectrum Community Solutions’ Vice-President in charge of the northeast division, said Spectrum is the second-largest cable provider in the United States. Spectrum, like the other two, would provide service to an estimated 120 unserved households, extending its current system. It offers a $29.95 monthly fee that would increase by 4% a year.

However, committee members pointed out in discussion, the $29.95 is misleading in two ways. It assumes every household, estimated at 2,300, sign up, to generate the income Spectrum expects; and it omits money the town would need to spend to hire a firm to do billing, estimated to be at least $20 per month per household.

The China Broadband Committee has scheduled its next meeting for 7 p.m. Thursday, March 4, by zoom. The main agenda item is review of the revised proposal from Spectrum Community Solutions, which committee members expect to receive on March 3.

by Mary Grow

China Planning Board members decided at their Feb. 23 meeting neither of two ordinances they are working on would be ready for a vote at the June 8 town business meeting.

They hope by November to have a new solar ordinance, and probably an addition to the Land Use Ordinance dealing with shoreland stabilization, ready for voters’ action.

The new solar ordinance is a fairly complete draft, but board members continue to tweak it. The basic wording is taken from a Maine Audubon Society document that board member Toni Wall converted to ordinance form and she and the rest of the board adapted to China’s needs.

For example, the Town of China has only four districts. All land not in a shoreland, stream protection or resource protection district is in the rural district. Board members had adjusted the Audubon district list at an earlier meeting; on Feb. 23, they also amended the permitting process for solar projects in the three protective districts.

In related decisions, they redefined the size of projects, enlarging those classified as small or medium for permitting purposes. The initial definition of a small ground-mounted project as less than 100 square feet was changed to allow up to 500 square feet, for example.

Board members talked about how tall solar panels should stand. Most in Maine have lower edges about three feet from the ground, but Codes Officer Jaime Hanson said in other states, panels stand five feet above the ground to allow crops to be grown underneath them.

They discussed whether any of the equipment in a large commercial solar project would make noise, and if so how to deal with it. Board Chairman Randy Downer said noise was a concern to neighbors as the board reviewed the previously-approved project on Route 3.

The second proposed change in town ordinances, regulation of shoreland stabilization projects, would require local provisions adding to state requirements, because China currently uses state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) standards. Hanson described them as a “functional product” that controls run-off into water bodies.

Board members are considering drafting provisions that would exceed the DEP regulation by considering aesthetics and special ecological protections. Their initial focus was on China Lake; they postponed answering Downer’s question about including China’s share of the Three Mile Pond shoreline.

Board member Scott Rollins referred them to the website of the Maine Land Use Planning Commission (LUPC), which regulates land use in Maine’s unorganized territories. The other board members agreed they should read relevant parts.

Board members unanimously approved Downer’s suggestion that he ask a limnologist to offer advice. He has a person in mind, and if she is not available knows where to find others. (A limnologist is an expert on all scientific aspects of inland waters.)

As part of his report to the planning board, Hanson said he has completed the course of study required to become a certified local health officer.

The next China Planning Board meeting is scheduled for 7 p.m. Tuesday, March 9.