The Old Town Orono Fiber Corporation (OTO Fiber) vision for high-speed fiber Internet is taking shape. On Oct. 26, the first six miles of the network were activated, making service available to approximately 400 locations.
OTO Fiber constructed the 6-mile pilot portion of the network (a map of the buildout is included at the end of this release) with a combination of funding from the two communities and a grant from the Northern Border Regional Commission. OTELCO responded to a 2020 RFP to operate the existing six miles and construct an additional 49 miles that would serve a combined 3,550 +/- locations. According to the agreement, OTELCO was to begin offering service on the original six miles this fall and construct the remaining infrastructure to be in service by summer of 2022. OTELCO Customer Care staff took the company’s first orders on the 27th and installs began on the 29th.
One of the first subscribers in Orono was Matt Drinkert. Drinkert is a state-licensed educational interpreter for the Deaf. Due to demands for flexibility in educational settings, Drinkert has been required to work remotely more often via video conferencing. Currently, and for the last school year, he has been working in a virtual first grade classroom. “With this kind of work, the video feed is critical for me to be able to read signs and accurately interpret them,” he shared.
Drinkert went on to emphasize that the buffering associated with his current inadequate connection poses a challenge to his work, even though he subscribes to the fastest service available to him. “It’s particularly a problem when my family is also at home trying to do video meetings and the neighbors are streaming video. I’m really looking forward to the speed and reliability of the Gigabit fiber service I subscribed to,” he commented.
Jeff Letourneau is the executive director of Networkmaine and Secretary of OTO Fiber Corp. Letourneau has been a tireless proponent for connectivity throughout Maine. He said, “This has been a long time coming and I couldn’t be more pleased. The collaboration between OTO and OTELCO may have looked different than our original RFP envisioned, but it is a win-win for Old Town and Orono.”
“Reliable, fast connectivity is so important in today’s economy, and thanks to the activation of these 6 miles approximately 200 local businesses will have access to Gigabit speeds. I also anticipate that we will see an influx of new businesses once the news of this state-of-the-art network spreads,” commented E.J. Roach, director of Economic and Community Development in Old Town and vice president of OTO Fiber.
Belle Ryder, president of the OTO Fiber Corporation and assistant town manager in Orono commented, “This vision has been more than a decade in the making, and to see it coming to fruition with installations beginning this week is so exciting!”
“Today, there is an abundance of public funding coming into play with the American Recovery Plan Act, and although the OTO Fiber initiative predates ARPA, it is a model for a public-private collaboration exemplifying the responsible use of public funds. We are proud to be a part of it,” commented OTELCO CEO, Richard Clark. Clark also encouraged residents to visit https://www.otelco.com/lp/fiber-internet-old-town-orono/ to learn more and check availability for their location. Should community interest indicate, OTELCO could consider expanding the build at a future date.
OTELCO has an interactive map to help Old Town and Orono residents see if their location is part of the build. Visit https://www.otelco.com/lp/fiber-internet-old-town-orono/ to learn more and register to be among the first to get connected when the network is complete. All Old Town and Orono residents are encouraged to register even if they are not part of the current or future build area. If there is overwhelming interest, the network may be extended beyond the planned 49 miles.