Users: Elon Musk’s Satellite Internet Is Not Full Solution
SpaceX s satellite service is bringing warp-speed Internet to rural parts of Maine, but early users say its high price and dropped connections may limit its contribution to widely expanding lagging high-speed Internet. by Lori Valigra, Bangor Daily News / March 8, 2021 Shutterstock/Andrey VP
(TNS) SpaceX s satellite service is bringing warp-speed internet to rural parts of
Maine, but early users say its high price and dropped connections may limit its contribution to widely expanding
Maine s lagging high-speed internet.
The much-anticipated Starlink satellite network operates in an orbit that is much closer to Earth and holds many more satellites than those in existing networks, factors the company claims account for high speeds. One Reddit poster who says they live in rural
Elections for selectmen and School Committee on the March 12 warrant.
Read Article
MINOT Absentee ballots are available as the residents prepare to vote March 12 raising money to bring broadband internet service to underserved parts of town.
Voters will be asked to appropriate $100,000 from surplus to serve as a ConnectME Authority Grant match. The town is partnering with FirstLight to expand broadband service to underserved parts of the town and will cover about 50% of the residences that do not have adequate internet access.
A public hearing was held Feb 8. No further hearings are planned, but information about the referendum is posted to the town Facebook page and is available on the town website at minotme.org/broadband. The postings include a link to a video of the public hearing.
Lamoine resident Brett Jones has already signed up for Starlink by paying the deposit and adding his name to the queue. He expects to receive his “Starlink Kit,” the equipment he will need to set up at home, when the supply is ready.
Mills makes push for another $30 million for broadband internet in Maine
Weak or nonexistent internet connectivity, a longstanding problem in rural Maine, has been exacerbated during the pandemic as workers, businesses, students and families struggle to stay connected.
Share
AUGUSTA Gov. Janet Mills has proposed borrowing another $30 million to help expand broadband in rural parts of Maine, where COVID-19 restrictions have exposed how the limited internet connectivity has compounded the pandemic’s negative impacts on learning and the economy.
In her state of the budget address Tuesday, Mills called high-speed internet “as fundamental as electricity, heat, and water,” and said everybody in Maine has a story about slow or nonexistent internet access.
Read Article
As reported in the December 25, 2020 edition of the Rangeley Highlander, a public hearing was held on December 8, 2020 to provide information and receive input on the Rangeley and Oquossoc TIF (Tax Increment Financing) District and Development Program. This 30 year program which includes 677.96 acres of the downtown areas of Rangeley and Oquossoc is expected to produce $6.5 million in increased tax revenue. Up to 100% of this tax revenue can be put into the TIF account and be used to help fund development in the TIF Districts. The amount of tax money that doesn’t go into the TIF account would be used to fund Town government and would not have to be raised through property taxation.