Islesboro, Maine

Island-Owned Gigabit Fiber

Problem

Slow, expensive, or absent internet access cuts rural communities off from jobs, education, healthcare, and civic participation.

Solution

Islesboro (about 565 year-round residents) voted 145-23 at its June 18, 2016 town meeting to borrow up to $3.8 million (a 20-year bond sold October 2016) to build a town-owned fiber-to-the-premise network; Waveguide built it, GWI of Biddeford operates it under contract, and the town owns the plant and bills subscribers. Light-up ran January to July 2018 with 600-plus installations; by December 2019 about 630 subscriptions covered more than 90% of premises. The single 1-gigabit tier cost $360 a year ($370 on the town's current page), with optional GWI phone service around $25 a month and the bond repaid through property taxes on all owners.

Patterns used: Digital Root System