Tag Archive for: broadband

China broadband committee continues talks with Unitel, Direct Communications

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by Mary Grow

At their May 4 meeting, China Broadband Committee (CBC) members continued discussion of working with Unitel and Direct Communications to bring expanded broadband service to China residents. CBC Chairman Robert O’Connor planned to present an interim report to China Select Board members at their May 9 meeting.

As at their previous joint discussion April 6 (see The Town Line, April 14, p. 3), everyone was enthusiastic about a cooperative endeavor – and how to pay for what CBC members envision remained a problem.

After voters defeated a request to borrow money through a bond in November 2021, CBC members have been determined to develop a plan that would not require financial support from taxpayers. They expect a combination of grants, user fees and other to-be-explored sources to cover costs.

CBC member Jamie Pitney summarized the committee’s relationship with Unitel: “We contacted all these people [from other broadband and telecommunications companies, including those already serving China residents] and the most promising are sitting right here.”

Michael Akers, Unitel’s Director of Network Operations, said he and Lead Communications Technician Scott Turgeon toured about half of China’s roads and confirmed and expanded information collected by last summer’s survey by Hawkeye Connections.

Notably, they found areas on main roads and camp roads where new facilities would be needed. The necessary construction would be “fairly straightforward,” Akers said, parts of it easy and parts hard.

In sum, the Unitel experts were “not supersurprised” by their findings. They concurred with Hawkeye’s cost estimate of around $6.5 million for work China would need.

They also agreed that under current guidelines and definitions for federal and state broadband grants, China could expect about $850,000, leaving a substantial amount needed from other sources.

Unitel and Direct Communications would contribute, amounts unknown. And, several people mentioned in discussion, grant guidelines will not be final until the fall of 2022 and might change to China’s advantage.

Another possible plan would be to expand China broadband incrementally over several years, starting with service to currently unserved and underserved areas.

The group agreed that CBC members should encourage China residents to do repeated speed tests on their current broadband service. Demonstrations of limited service should help show the need for change. Direct Communications, based in the small town of Rockland, Idaho, specializes in providing rural towns with broadband service. Unitel, based in Unity, Maine, is now a member of Direct Communications. Unitel’s Director of Internal/External Support, Jayne Sullivan, and Akers said they will forward a description of the local financial situation to Idaho.

Pitney asked James Dougherty, from consultant Mission Broadband, to draft a work plan for the CBC based on the May 4 discussion. After discussion of how much time would be needed, the next CBC meeting was scheduled for 4 p.m. Wednesday, May 25, in the portable building behind the China town office.

China Broadband Committee (CBC) members enthused about new expansion possibility

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by Mary Grow

CHINA, ME — China Broadband Committee (CBC) members are enthusiastic about a new possibility for expanding internet service in China, and so are officials at the possible providers, the Unity-based telephone and communications company Unitel.

However, both parties emphasized during an April 6 discussion that nothing is guaranteed, and that financing is likely to remain a challenge.

They plan to meet together again at 4 p.m. Wednesday, May 4, in the former portable classroom behind the China town office.

Unitel was acquired in March by a company called Direct Communications, based in Rockland, Idaho. The web says Rockland had a population of 246 in 2019 and is currently estimated to have 277 residents.

Unitel’s Director of Internal/External Support, Jayne Sullivan, told CBC members that Direct Communications is a third-generation family-owned business, similar to Unitel, which was founded in 1902. Recently, she said, Direct Communications has been buying small companies like Unitel all over the country and helping them expand their broadband offerings.

Sullivan said Unitel officials welcome backing from Direct Communications. Unitel’s first fiber was installed in 2015, Director of Network Operations Michael Akers said.

Unitel and Direct Communications are working with other area towns. Some, like China, are beginning discussion, while some are drawing close to agreements. Akers said nine other towns are ahead of China.

Competition would not necessarily delay work in China if the town and the company reached an agreement and China officials and voters endorsed it. “We’re pretty nimble; we get a lot done quickly – sometimes,” Akers said with a smile.

Consensus was that the first step is for Akers and/or Lead Communications Technician Scott Turgeon, who also attended the April 6 meeting, to survey China to see what infrastructure is available and what is needed. Planning the survey involved discussion about ground-clearance requirements for wires on utility poles.

The new information, combined with results of the Hawkeye Connections survey in the summer of 2021 and other information CBC members have collected, will lead to a cost estimate. Akers intends to forward Hawkeye’s information to Direct Communications engineers in Idaho for analysis.

Financing was a major discussion topic. CBC members’ goal is to provide service to everyone in town who wants it without asking China taxpayers to pay part of the bill.

Funding options include China Tax Increment Financing (TIF) money (the revised TIF plan allocates $30,000 a year to broadband for the next 10 years); American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) and other federal funds sent to the State of Maine, Kennebec County and the Town of China; and grant programs.

Most federal and state programs benefit areas that lack any service, or adequate service, and by many initial definitions of terms like “unserved” and “underserved,” China is considered adequately served. However, John Dougherty from Mission Broadband, the CBC’s consulting firm, said definitions are changing, in ways that might make China more grant-eligible.

Akers said Unitel works with Mission Broadband in other towns; he is pleased to work with them in China. He called Dougherty “the guy for the grants.”

UNITEL to join Direct Communications family

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Photo credit: Barta IV, https://www.flickr.com/photos/98640399@N08/9287370881

Direct Communications of Rockland, Idaho, announced that it has acquired Unitel of Unity, Maine. Direct Communications, a family-owned broadband provider, has been assisting customers with their communications needs since 1954.

The heart and soul of Direct Communications lies in the rural areas that they serve. They bring to Unitel a vast knowledge of fiber construction, networking, and the ability to scale quickly to expand their reach.

“We are thrilled to welcome Unitel to the Direct Communications family,” said Owner of Direct Communications, Tim May. “Our company takes ‘family’ very seriously, and we treat our employees and customers as family as well. We feel that Unitel is the perfect fit for us because of the groundwork that has already been laid in their network, and the relationships that have been forged with current customers and communities.”

Direct Communications plans to hit the ground running and get to work expanding fiber optics and working hard to upgrade the network. The front office will remain in Unity, and there will be no hiccups in service as all original employees will stay in place to keep fulfilling the local communications needs.

“We have no intention of slowing down,” said May. “We know that the employees and community members are eager for us to bring faster internet speeds, we intend to do that as quickly as possible.”

China Broadband Committee (CBC) members continue talks to improve service

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by Mary Grow

China Broadband Committee (CBC) members continued discussing possible future ways to improve internet service to China residents at an hour-long Feb. 17 meeting.

They plan to meet next at 4 p.m. Wednesday (not the usual Thursday), March 9, in the portable building behind the town office. At that meeting they expect to have another proposal from or discussion with representatives of Spectrum Communications and Consolidated Communications.

In past offers, both companies have offered to extend service at considerable cost to the town. The resulting network would be owned by the respective company, not by the town.

The proposal for which China voters rejected a bond issue last November would have resulted in a town-owned network, an outcome committee members preferred.

Yet another option would be formation of a district with one or more other towns. CBC members have considered it; there are no plans. Committee Chairman Robert O’Connor said he had received an inquiry from a Vassalboro resident, to whom he suggested involving Vassalboro select board members.

CBC members understand that China voters prefer not to have costs come from taxes. A system paid for by users is one option; other possibilities for avoiding or minimizing local shared costs are interesting private investors or using county, state or federal grants.

China does not have the densely-populated area that attracts private investors. Much of the grant money for which regulations have been written is for towns with no internet service; but most China households are served, not necessarily satisfactorily.

Related questions Feb. 17 were whether CBC members want to request funding at the June 1 town business meeting and if so, what for. One suggestion was a household survey to find out exactly what service residents have and what they would like to have.

Selectmen have approved asking voters to appropriate $40,000 for broadband from China’s Tax Increment Financing (TIF) fund, $10,000 to continue hiring consultant Mission Broadband for another year and $30,000 to get started on a project if one is approved during the 2022-23 fiscal year.

Consolidated Communications officials: Do not expect an offer to expand internet service

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by Mary Grow

Members of China’s Broadband Committee (CBC) heard a presentation from two Consolidated Communications officials at their Jan. 18 meeting. The speakers did not encourage them to expect an offer from the company to expand internet service to town residents.

Consolidated, which used to be Fairpoint Communications, serves some China residents, many fewer than are served by Spectrum, the town’s main internet provider. One estimate CBC members have used is that Spectrum covers about 70 percent of households and Consolidated 20 percent, leaving the remainder with no internet service.

Consolidated representatives Simon Thorne and Sarah Davis explained why China is not near the top of Consolidated’s expansion list.

Company decisions are based on project cost, the number of potential customers, the take rate (how many residents sign up for the service) and the presence or absence of competition, Davis said. When the company goes into or expands in a town, it uses a mix of financing, including grants, private financing the company obtains with the expectation of a profit and local money.

China’s population density is too low to offer enough profit to attract investors.

Rules for broadband expansion grants are a work in progress. So far, most grants are available for towns with no service at all, so China would not be eligible.

And voters’ rejection of the CBC’s request for a bond issue last November casts doubt on local interest in providing funds.

When CBC member Tod Detre suggested the company plans to start with “more profitable areas,” Davis replied, “You nailed it.”

Mention of last November’s bond issue vote led to a spirited discussion. Ronald Breton, chairman of the select board and a guest at the CBC meeting, said emphatically that China is still interested in broadband expansion. He pointed out that after the vote, select board members voted unanimously to continue the CBC.

Janet Preston, the select board member who serves “ex officio” on the CBC, reminded Breton that on the Nov. 2, 2021, ballot, the select board and the budget committee both advised voters to reject the bond issue. She thinks the recommendations were “influential.”

Detre added that before the vote, opponents of the bond issue incorrectly claimed it was unnecessary, because “Consolidated would bring fiber [connections to all houses] in a year or two.” Davis confirmed Consolidated had and has no such intention.

Replying to a question from CBC member Neil Farrington, Davis said Consolidated does have fiber lines in China. But, she said, they are configured for business, and to reconfigure them to serve individual houses would be about as expensive as starting from scratch.

CBC Chairman Robert O’Connor asked if China would be more attractive to investors if the town were to form a utility district with neighboring towns, like Vassalboro and Windsor. Davis said she would find out whether a district might be helpful.

Since Davis was unsure how long it will take to get information, CBC members scheduled two more meetings: 4 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 3, to be canceled if they have no new matters to discuss; and 4 p.m., Thursday, Feb. 17, for continued discussion with Davis and Thorne if information is available by then.

China Broadband Committee (CBC): seven possible sources for expanded service

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by Mary Grow

China Broadband Committee (CBC) members have a list of seven possible sources for expanded and improved broadband service to all town residents.

At their Jan. 6 meeting, committee members discussed what they know about the different companies; what additional information they need; what federal and state funding might be available, once distribution rules are developed; and possibilities of combining technologies from more than one company.

To help them collect and analyze the information they need, they agreed to ask again for money from China’s Tax Increment Financing (TIF) fund. The draft fund request had two pieces: $10,000 for consultant services and $30,000 to start work. If they are not ready to spend any of the $30,000 in the 2022-23 fiscal year, they expect it to carry forward for future use.

Committee Chairman Robert O’Connor and member Jamie Pitney intended to submit the request to TIF Committee members at the Jan. 10 TIF Committee meeting.

The next CBC meeting is scheduled for 4 p.m., Tuesday, Jan. 18 (not the usual Thursday afternoon). A discussion with representatives of Consolidated Communications, one of the seven potential providers, is tentatively on the agenda.

China Broadband Committee (CBC) entertains proposal for expanded service

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by Mary Grow

China Broadband Committee (CBC) members entertained a proposal for expanded service by Spectrum at their Dec. 9 meeting, and offered multiple suggestions for sweetening the deal.
Spectrum was represented by Melinda Kinney, Regional Senior Director for Spectrum’s parent company, Charter Communications. Her prepared presentation started with Spectrum’s nation-wide reach, zeroed in on China and included an offer.

Nationally, Charter/Spectrum has more than 750,000 “miles of network infrastructure” in 41 states. In Maine, the company serves 448,000 customers, in 293 communities, and has 680 employees. Augusta, Bangor and Portland are listed as the largest “employment centers,” but Kinney said the company tries to hire local technicians and other employees who are familiar with the service area.

In China, Kinney showed 2,268 homes and businesses served. The proposal she presented would add 15.9 miles of infrastructure, reaching 120 currently unserved homes. The cost would be $296,380 for Charter and $429,000 for the Town of China.

The plan would not be the all-fiber system CBC members prefer, but the hybrid now in use: a fiber network with copper connections to each building served.

Nor would the speed be as high as CBC members think necessary. Kinney presented several speeds, with cost options and additional-service options. Spectrum offers two programs to assist low-income consumers, she said.

CBC member Tod Detre’s reaction was, “We’d be paying for you to extend your network.”

Kinney agreed; China’s $496,000 would bring the town no ownership rights. Spectrum would own and be totally responsible for the network.

The following discussion established that there could be more than 120 unserved houses, and if so Spectrum would consider adjusting its proposal, within limits. Long driveways might prohibit service, or make installation expensive for the home-owner; roads with no utility poles could not be served, Kinney said.

CBC members’ previous discussion with Axiom, a potential service provider, was based on the town owning the infrastructure and Axiom – or a successor if town officials so chose – being entirely responsible for service. Axiom proposed running fiberoptic cable to every house, eliminating the copper link.

On Nov. 2, China voters rejected the committee’s proposal to authorize selectmen to issue a bond to pay for the new infrastructure to support Axiom’s service.

For the Spectrum proposal, cost was one issue for CBC members. Discussion of whether grants could cover part of China’s share was inconclusive, because Maine’s rules for awarding internet connectivity grants are not yet written.

The other major issue was running fiber all the way to each building. Detre and CBC Chairman Robert O’Connor think it’s essential, both for superior service now and because it’s the way internet development is going. O’Connor urged Kinney to ask her company to get ahead of the times.

Her reply was that fiber to the home might be feasible in a new service area, but replacing the existing infrastructure in China is probably not feasible. She told CBC members she will relay their concerns and suggestions to her superiors and report back as she gets answers.

Spectrum still has potential competition, even if Axiom is counted out.

At the Nov. 22 China select board meeting, board and CBC members heard a presentation from Bob Parsloe, of Wireless Partners, LLC, another internet possibility for China residents. At the Dec. 9 CBC meeting, O’Connor said he would like to talk again with representatives of Consolidated Communications, which currently serves some China homes.

The next CBC meeting is tentatively scheduled for 4 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 6, 2022.

CORRECTION: A previous version of this article (and the print edition) incorrectly referred to the Charter/Spectrum representative as Melinda Perkins. Her name is Melinda Kinney. The article has been updated. We apologize for the error.

China Broadband Committee (CBC) continues exploring options for funding

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by Mary Grow

At their Nov. 17 meeting, China Broadband Committee (CBC) members continued exploring options for funding better internet service for China residents, after voters said no to borrowing money through a town-issued bond.

At their Nov. 4 meeting, the main alternatives considered were seeking an arrangement with other towns or continuing to develop a China-only service (see The Town Line, Nov. 11, p. 3). As the meeting ended, Axiom Technologies President Mark Ouellette said he would look for possible sources of financing, government or private.

Private investors seem more likely, because, Ouellette and committee member Jamie Pitney agreed on Nov. 17, state and federal funds are aimed mainly at unserved populations. They could not find that improving slow or unreliable service qualified for government funding.

Only an estimated five percent of China residents get no internet service to their houses. The majority are served by Spectrum or Consolidated Communi­cations.

CBC members consider that neither company provides adequate service for contemporary needs. So far, neither has offered an upgrade that committee members have found acceptable.

Ouellette suggested a useful activity to begin as soon as possible: asking residents to check the speed of their internet systems and report results, to help evaluate current providers. Information on running tests and forwarding results will be publicized. Testing is as simple as finding the phrase “internet speed test” on the web and following the directions.

Ouellette has worked with other towns where private investment has made expanded internet possible through Axiom. The possibility of such an arrangement for China is “generally positive,” he said, but he had no specific plan to report.

Based on other towns’ experience, he advised trying to find investors in the Town of China, who will accept a low rate of return in order to benefit their neighbors.

Organizational possibilities were mentioned. Pitney cited an intertown nonprofit created to provide ambulance service. Ouellette knew of a four-town utility district.

Committee member Tod Detre suggested CBC members form a nonprofit organization and ask for money through one of the crowdfunding platforms on the web.

Ouellette and Piney intended to schedule an appointment with the acting head of the Finance Authority of Maine (FAME), the state agency that promotes business development, to see if China qualifies for help there.

CBC Chairman Robert O’Connor and others planned to attend the Nov. 22 select board meeting, where O’Connor said board members were scheduled to hear a presentation from a wireless internet provider.

Pending information on FAME and the select board meeting, CBC members postponed scheduling their next meeting.

China Broadband Committee (CBC) reviews report to refine costs

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by Mary Grow

At their Oct. 21 meeting, China Broadband Committee (CBC) members reviewed a report from Hawkeye Connections, the company whose employees surveyed existing power poles and related infrastructure to refine the cost of improving and expanding internet service in China.

The report gives an estimated cost of $5.25 million for main construction only. It further describes six areas lacking power poles, serving a total of more than 100 homes; and notes some homes on Three Mile Pond that are in China, but accessible only through Windsor, plus one island house.

Hawkeye engineers suggested solutions for most problem areas, including adding utility poles, doing underground connections and, for the island, wireless communication. They offered $135,000 as a partial additional cost estimate, varying with the chosen solution.

They offered no cost estimate for reaching the houses on the other side of a piece of Windsor. They said the location “would create some significant engineering challenges to get them service.”

Mark Ouellette, President of Axiom Technologies (the company CBC members plan to have set up and operate China’s new system, if it is approved and funded) called the Hawkeye figures “generally in line with what we were thinking” when making the preliminary estimate.

The six road sections needing extra work to provide connections are:

  • Stanley Hill and Maple Ridge roads, east on Stanley Hill and north on Maple Ridge from their intersection;
  • A stretch of Dutton Road, including Heartbreak Lane;
  • Mann Road between Parmenter Hill and Western Ridge, and the south end of Yorktown Road;
  • Western Ridge Road a short distance each way from the Davis Shore Road;
  • Route 3 mostly east, but also a short distance west, of the eastern Branch Mills Road intersection; and
  • Tyler Road northeast from the Finley Road intersection, including Evergreen Drive.

Committee members discussed the possibility that some or all of the neighborhoods where new poles are needed might be eligible for state and/or federal grants designated for areas currently lacking internet service. Ouellette will investigate grant requirements.

Committee members also considered cooperation with neighboring towns, since two areas are close to Palermo and one is close to Windsor.

Ouellette said Palermo is part of the Southwestern Waldo County Broadband Coalition, with Freedom, Liberty, Montville and Searsmont.

Another nearby coalition is the Western Kennebec Lakes Community Broadband Association, with Fayette, Leeds, Mount Vernon, Readfield, Vienna and Wayne as members. Ouellette said he has talked with interested parties in two of those towns.

Voters in Readfield will have three local questions related to broadband on their Nov. 2 ballots, according to a recent article in the Central Maine newspapers.

CBC members scheduled their next meeting for 4 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 4.

[See also: Various broadband initiatives across Maine to provide improved access]

“Yes” vote you approve; “No” vote you oppose

The Oct 21 China Broadband Committee (CBC) meeting was members’ last before the Nov. 2 local election, at which voters will approve or reject authorization for a $5.1 million bond issue to cover most of the estimated $6.5 million cost of improved and expanded internet service in China.

If voters approve the question, China Select Board members are authorized, but not required, to apply for the bond. Assuming they go through the Maine Bond Bank, the next application period will be in the spring of 2022.

The ballot question is long and complicated. CBC members have attempted to explain it on their website, chinabroadband.net; at public meetings; and through a mailed-out information sheet.

In the Sept. 24 issue of the town office news sheet, China Connected, Town Manager Rebecca Hapgood said that despite the complex wording, yes and no votes “mean what they say.”

She wrote: “A ‘yes’ vote would mean you support moving forward with broadband and the projected costs and a ‘no’ vote means you do not support moving forward with the broadband project.”

Thursday, Oct. 28, is the final day to request an absentee ballot in China. On Tuesday, Nov. 2, China polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m., in the portable building behind the town office on Lakeview Drive.

Read all of The Town Line’s coverage of the China Broadband Committee here.

Various broadband initiatives across Maine to provide improved access

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Photo credit: Barta IV, https://www.flickr.com/photos/98640399@N08/9287370881

by Jeanne Marquis

Communities through the Central Maine and Coastal regions are creating initiatives to improve their internet services to existing users and provide connection to underserved areas. Each community or coalition of communities is in a different stage of their progress, yet all have similar goals of future proofing their internet connections, providing reliable service to underserved residents and more affordable service to those who are currently served.

The Southwestern Waldo Broadband Coalition (SWBC) is one of these initiatives. Their goal is to connect Freedom, Liberty, Montville, Palermo, and Searsmont with affordable, accessible broadband coverage. In a survey conducted from April to September of 2021, fifty-five percent of respondents stated that no company was able to provide internet service to their homes. The survey results are further supported by a Geographical Information System (GIS) Mapping of the area showing most of Southwestern Waldo is in an internet desert devoid of connection.

Bob Kurek, Palermo selectman, explains why he works actively to advocate for SWBC,

“This is my second term as a selectman. I would like to leave the town doing something good for the town and I think this is probably the one thing that will benefit most of our residents.

“My next reason is funding. I would call myself a pragmatic conservative. I wouldn’t normally have gone after the government put in a lot of money. But as long as the government has decided they’ve got money that’s available [for broadband coverage], I want to be ready, willing and able to accept it and put it to use to solve a problem for our residents.”

The SWBC is fueled by volunteers from the five towns that comprise the coalition. Kurek explains, “If you realize the resources that it takes to pull together the information that you need to work on these grants? Small towns, like the R5 towns, don’t have enough resources to do it but when we combine we have the resources – I’m just thrilled by the people who work with us. We’ve got engineers, we’ve got educators, we’ve got accountants, we’ve got a good group of people who understand what it is that we’re wanting to do. They’re all working to solve the problem. They realize that our area is so unserved and underserved by broadband service. We could enhance our economic development, we can enhance education, and we can make it easier for people who need to communicate with doctors.”

The SWBC completed an extensive survey to ascertain the level of interest and need in their five town area. Key members of the coalition presented the results this September in informational sessions at town meetings. The SWBC earned the approval of all five select boards to use funds from the first distribution of the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) for a feasibility study. The SWBC is now soliciting bids from eight consulting firms.

Another broadband initiative in the Central Maine region is the Western Kennebec Lakes Community Broadband Asso­ciation, which combines the towns of Fayette, Leeds, Mount Vernon, Readfield, Vienna and Wayne. A statement on the association’s website expresses that their towns need improved access to the internet to help their students get an education, promote remote work opportunities, access information and reduce isolation by connecting family and friends. The association also views internet access as vital to the future financial wellbeing of their communities by encouraging new residents to settle and their current families’ youth to stay or return.

The WKLCBA is currently gathering survey information from residents from their six communities. Video testimonials are posted on their website expressing the need for improved internet service from a variety of sectors: health, education and business.

Ellsworth is an example of a community with a newly-installed fiber network serving three miles of their downtown area. The city is currently offering leases to connect to the network to both residential and business customers. The goal of the fiber network project is to position Ellsworth as a technology-friendly city to attract remote workers and companies for whom broadband is a vital component of their business.

The Ellsworth city website says the city may expand the network overtime as the interest grows and update the technology at either end of the cable as needed.

The Town of China appointed a broadband committee to research options for better internet service and this committee has been meeting since early 2017. The China Broadband Committee (CBC) found that the major internet provider services only 70 percent of the town, the rest are serviced by a lower quality DSL or have no service. The committee’s solution to provide more reliable, more affordable internet service to every resident and business in China is similar to the fiber network plans of the broadband initiatives in progress across our state. The CBC plan is highly detailed and analyzed in an October 14, 2021, article by The Town Line technical advisor Eric Austin found at https://townline.org/category/sections/columns/tech-talk/ and on the CBC website at https://chinabroadband.net/.