MEASURE WOULD IMPROVE BROADBAND STANDARDS IN MAINE

Maine ranks in bottom of the pack for Internet speed

AUGUSTA – A bill to bring Maine’s broadband standards up to speed with its internet connectivity was presented earlier today before the Legislature’s Energy, Utilities and Technology Committee.

Sen. Chris Johnson of Somerville

The bill, LD 1167 , “An Act To Modernize Maine’s Broadband Standards,” requires the ConnectME Authority to review its definition of broadband service on an annual basis and consider how broadband service is defined by the Federal Communications Commission, and other indicators of nationally competitive broadband performance expectations.

“For people and businesses in Maine to compete in many of today’s fields they need good Internet connectivity. Slow speeds are a significant hindrance,” said Democratic State Senator Chris Johnson of Somerville, sponsor of the bill.

Earlier this year, the ConnectME Authority updated their broadband standard for the first time since 2007 to 10/10 (10 Mbps download and 10 Mbps upload) from 1.5 Mbps. However, Maine still trails the rest of the nation. According to a recent report, Maine ranks 48th among other states for broadband speed.

“This is a fast evolving technology and we cannot afford to wait another 8 years before revisiting our broadband standard again,” said Senator Johnson. “There is too much on the line in the way of attracting new businesses, expanding current ones, and creating jobs to just sit idle from this kind of investment in our infrastructure.”

Additionally, the bill requires the ConnectME Authority to strengthen the definition of broadband service to ensure it contributes to the state’s nationally competitive economic development status. The bill also includes enhancing broadband services to achieve actual speeds for downloads and uploads that are equal to or greater than the average of all the New England states’ actual speeds in the Authority’s aims.

A work session on the bill will be held in the coming weeks.

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