Publicly-owned Midcoast Internet Development Corporation expands membership - PenBayPilot.com

ROCKPORT — The Midcoast Internet Development Corporation, comprising Camden, Rockport, Rockland and Thomaston, has expanded its rank to see Cushing, Morrill, Belmont and Starks. This publicly-owned inferior was incorporated successful 2021 arsenic a nonprofit with a committee of directors consisting of 1 subordinate from each of the participating towns.

MIDC was formed to bring affordable, high-speed fibre net work to its subordinate towns.

Once the fibre net strategy is constructed, the inferior volition clasp ownership of the fibre infrastructure, successful overmuch the aforesaid mode that section municipalities ain their roads. MIDC volition past participate into competitory contracts with net work providers to run and support the fibre infrastructure for the payment of the users successful its work area, according to an Oct. 28 quality release.

“A publically owned net strategy ensures agelong word pricing affordability by providing for contention in the cognition of the system, and eliminating the request to supply profits to firm shareholders,” the merchandise said.

All profits from the cognition of the net strategy tin beryllium utilized to grow and amended section net service, thereby ensuring affordability. The towns that person established and joined MIDC presumption net services arsenic an indispensable infrastructure similar roads, energy and h2o – believing it should beryllium disposable and affordable to everyone.

Now 8 towns strong, MIDC has been moving with the Maine-based net work provider, GWI (Great Works Internet), to hole and taxable a assistance exertion to the Maine Connectivity Authority.

This assistance exertion volition beryllium submitted by aboriginal November, and volition petition backing to physique fibre net infrastructure successful definite of its subordinate towns with absorption connected the unserved areas successful those towns. MIDC expects that it volition beryllium 1 of the fewer publically owned broadband inferior districts applying for the federally funded assistance money.