Serving Maine and Lincoln County for more than 140 years
December 3, 2021 2:50 PM Emily Hayes
On September 7, Sam Hafford and Ernie Carroll transported a piece of tape from the inside of the basement to the outside of a house in Bremen. (Bisi Cameron Yee photo, LCN file)
After receiving a grant through the state’s ConnectME broadband program, the installation of fiber optic broadband in Bremen is basically completed and all residents can connect to the system.
The town’s Broadband Commission worked with Tidewater Telecom to install fiber optic cables for 290 interested applicants, but 37 of them are still being installed.
Tidewater submitted a grant application for Bremen in the spring of 2020 and received US$120,000 from the ConnectME program, which is funded by a quarter (0.25%) assessment of all communications, video, and Internet service bills, and a US$0.10 Surcharge for all landline numbers in the state. Tidewater covered the remaining cost of the installation of US$480,435, and the town did not have any costs.
Alan Hinsey, Tidewater's director of marketing, sales and communications, said that as a local family business, “when we invest, we are there for a long time.”
Matthew Hanley of the Bremen Broadband Commission said that the collaboration with Tidewater is that Bremen intends to "buy locally" high-speed internet instead of going to Comcast.
In order to receive grants, most cities and towns need to allocate $50,000 in advance for fiber-optic broadband projects, but Bremen provides expertise and project work.
Members of the Broadband Commission, such as Sam Hafford, a former telephone company operator, helped the homeowner set up the pipe. A rope was prepared on the pipe to pull the wires through during the installation process.
Hinsey said Bremen is "a great example of community broadband efforts." "They immediately proposed a solution."
He said the preparations of the Broadband Commission accelerated the installation and ensured that they proceeded smoothly. Tidewater plans to rebuild Bremen projects in several other towns in the area, including Hope, Appleton and Bristol. The company plans to build another 12 miles of fiber optic cable in Bristol after receiving additional funding.
According to a study conducted by Tidewater in 2021, approximately 400 Bremen residents are eligible to install fiber optic broadband. Residents can still apply, but Hinsey warned that due to the company's backlog, they may not receive the installation for several months.
However, Hinsy said that the 37 residents currently applying and 13 customers who will return to Bremen's seasonal houses in the spring will be given priority as they apply before the July 31, 2021 deadline.
"The demand is very high," he said.
By the end of 2021, due to the shift to online learning and remote work during the pandemic, Tidewater will complete 1,000 new fiber installations, up from 660 in 2020.
"It's not just about the Internet," Hinsy said. "It's about visiting."
The project will not stop during the installation phase. The Broadband Committee will hold information sessions on how to make the most of high-speed broadband access (including telemedicine and telemedicine appointments) and job opportunities.
Hanley said that virtual healthcare can allow some people to live longer at home instead of moving to an aged care center.
He added that it also provides job opportunities for people who need flexible working hours, such as students or parents. Hanly said that LL Bean is shifting its customer service to the Internet, with agents working from home, while virtual jobs like this require a certain amount of software knowledge and broadband bandwidth, and the Broadband Commission is providing this knowledge to Bremen residents.
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