Federal funding of nearly $49 million will bring internet to the remaining Mainers who don’t have stable or high-speed access, according to the Maine Connectivity Authority.
The authority, a state agency tasked with expanding broadband connection throughout Maine, has garnered $48.5 million in federal funding under the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment program administered by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration.
The funding will allow connections to 22,000 Maine homes and businesses that have either unreliable or nonexistent high-speed internet capability, including about 6,000 in Aroostook County, Maine Connectivity Authority officials said.
“This is Maine’s first federal award made since the program restructuring, and the program was designed to have only one award made at the state level,” Jenna Ingram, senior manager of communications for the Maine Connectivity Authority, told the Bangor Daily News.
New federal guidelines released last June voided BEAD proposals that had been approved and required states to reapply for funding. Where fiber was previously the conduit of choice, states must now consider all forms of access and opt for those that cost less.
The Maine Connectivity Authority was originally allocated $272 million under the federal program, but the changes reduced its allotment to $48.5 million. It could be the state’s only BEAD award, Ingram said.
The BEAD program exists to ensure that all places have access to high-speed connections, defined as greater than or equal to download speeds of 100 megabits per second and upload speeds of 20 mbps.
In Aroostook, the state’s largest county, just over three-quarters of residents have high-speed broadband available. It’s the third lowest in the state, higher than only Waldo and Washington counties, in which just under three-quarters are served.
The Federal Communications Commission reports internet service availability via its National Broadband Map. Current numbers, last updated on Feb. 3, show 42,444 Aroostook County households have high-speed access. But nearly a quarter have minimal or no service at all.
In Waldo County, 23,896 households are served, and in Washington County, 22,880.
On the high end of the spectrum, 98 percent of Sagadahoc County customers have high-speed internet, followed by Androscoggin, Cumberland and York counties at 96 percent.
Assistant Secretary of Commerce and NTIA Administrator Arielle Roth convened a public listening session on Feb. 11 to discuss BEAD funds. More than 1,400 people registered for the two-hour session and 50 people spoke, the administration said in a release.
Another public listening session is slated from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 18. The public can register at the NTIA’s BroadbandUSA site.
The Maine Connectivity Authority was launched in 2021 by Gov. Janet Mills to boost broadband availability across the state, particularly in the most remote and rural areas. To date, it has created or improved connections for more than 135,000 Maine residences and businesses, according to its 2025 impact report.
The authority was awarded other funds in 2023 for two projects in portions of Aroostook, Ingram said. With a Connect the Ready grant of $8.1 million from federal American Rescue Plan Act money, the MCA and Consolidated Communications worked to fund 1,705 connections in Danforth, Drew Plantation, Glenwood Plantation, Orient, Reed Plantation and Weston.
The authority and Charter Communications used a Reach Me Line Extension grant of $6.9 million in state and federal money to provide 2,147 high-speed connections in various parts of Maine. Of these, 825 are in The County, including Caribou and Presque Isle, she said.
Other authority awards have gone to the Houlton Band of Maliseet Indians, Mi’kmaq Nation, and Northern Maine Development Commission to support access once the connections were in place.
“MCA also awarded three Connectivity Hubs in Aroostook County, to the Caribou Public Library, Houlton Band of Maliseet Indians and Aroostook Agency On Aging, totaling $3.5 million,” Ingram said. “These entities were awarded funding to undergo capital improvements to increase connectivity and enable workforce development, education, and health monitoring through telehealth.”