FairPoint Communications (Nasdaq: FRP) has expanded the availability of its broadband DSL service to over 350 homes in eight towns throughout Maine: Byron, Lewiston, Lincoln Plantation, Magalloway Plantation, Roxbury and Sabattus.
Similar to its broadband expansion work in New Hampshire and Vermont, the telco's investments in Maine have been funded through a mix of its own funds and awards from the FCC's Connect America Fund (CAF).
In August, it leveraged its $3.3 million CAF Phase I allocation from the FCC to expand and upgrade broadband service in 44 Maine towns that have either no Internet access at all or can only get low-speed dial-up services.
By using the CAF award, FairPoint will be able to deliver 4/1 Mbps and above to about 6,000 locations--of which more than 1,659 qualify for CAF funding.
Due to the initial limitations that said providers could only use the CAF funding in areas that were deemed unserved or don't have any broadband access, the telco only accepted $2 million from the CAF last July to provide broadband service to 53 Vermont towns.
These recent moves are part of a broader effort it is making to improve broadband in Maine. Earlier this year, the service provider set a goal with the Maine Public Utility Commission (PUC) to expand broadband service to 87 percent of its residential telephone customers by the end of 2016.
For more:
- see the release
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