The Town of Chebeague
Island
has received
Broadband Internet Grant funding
and the Town Meeting approved
the operational contracts!
We
hope for construction to start in early 2024 with completion
by July, 2024, if not sooner!
The Town of
Chebeague Island
Broadband Committee
We meet via
ZOOM almost every Monday at 05:00pm
Meeting ID is 326 962 753
Password is 175989
See Committee Members on
Overview & Links
Broadband Internet for All - Mission Statement
The Town of Chebeague Island Broadband
Committee advocates for fast, flexible, affordable and
reliable internet
to incentivize business, support schools, advance the
quality of healthcare, connect homes
and facilitate long term education and socialization of our
rural island.
On April 27, 2022, the
ConnectMaine Authority voted to approve our
grant request for $800,000 in funding to be matched by as
much as
$975,000 as authorized by Town Meeting in December, 2021,
by a vote of 84 in favor to 18 opposed.
Of the eight (8) awards made out of 23 applying towns or
groups of towns,
Chebeague was #1.
Here's the official notification
At the
June 11, 2022 Town Meeting with about 70 resident citizens
in attendance, the broadband contracts passed easily,
all in favor, save 7 opposed to the Construction Contract
and 4 opposed to the Franchise Contract.
That is 90% and 94%, respectively, in favor of the
broadband contracts.
Thus, the citizens of Chebeague Island voted
overwhelmingly to make make broadband service available to
every home on the Island with no increase in property
taxes as a result.
On s February 23, 2023 the
ConnectMaine Authority increased the grant funding by
$170,00 to $970,000
in recognition of a switch from State to Federal funding
and several unanticipated expenses.
This website seeks to inform our voters about what true broadband internet is and how it can enrich our community.
Our
gratitude goes out to the The [Blue Hill] Peninsula
Utility for Broadband for allowing us
to liberally borrow from their website.
The documentation of our efforts to date may be found in the following links:
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Town of Chebeague
Island |
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Broadband Discussion Public Zoom Meeting - November 13, 2021 |
Draft Contract documents (Final documents
available
here)
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