IT
IT IS4@
IT IS4@ ESTIMATED THAT EIGHTY FIVE THOUSAND HOUSEHOLDS IN MAINE HAVE LIMITED OR NO
INTERNET ACCESS.
THAT'S ACCORDING TO THE STATE'S
CONENCT MAINE AUTHORITY.
THINK ABOUT THAT FOR A MOMENT.
IN THE MIDDLE OF A PANDEMIC
WHERE KIDS ARE SCHOOLING4@ FROM
HOME AND PARENTS ARE WORKING
REMOTELY.
THOUSANDS OF MAINERS ARE4@
LITERALLY LEFT OUT.
CONENCT MAIN AUTHORITY HAS BEEN
WORKING FOR YEARS TO ELIMINATE
THESE BROADBAND BARRIERS.
NEWSCENTERMAINE4@ LINDSAY MILLS
SPENT TIME TALKING WITH MAINE
FAMILIES ABOUT THIS4@ AND GETTIG
THE DETAILS OF SOME REAL WORLD
PROBLEMS.
LINDSAY, PAT AND CINDY.
I WAS CURIOUS TO HEAR WHAT4@
BROADBAND ACCESS IS LIKE FOR
MAINE FAMILIES ACROSS DIFFERENT
PARTS OF THE STATE.
I FOUND THREE FAMILIES WHO FOR
ONE WEEK SENT ME A VIDEO
RECORDING EACH NIGHT OF HOW
4@THEIR DAY WENT.4@
REGARDING INTERNET ACCESS AND
REMOTE4@ LEARNING, WHAT I HEARD
4@WERE THREE VERY DIFFERENT
STORIES A BIG CHALLENGE FOR THE
STATE.
ACCESS TO HIGH SPEED INTERNET.
IN MAINE IT HAS BECOME A
CRITICAL4@ ELEMENT OF HOW PEOPLE
SURVIVE AND WHAT THAT ACCESS IS
LIKE4@ DEPENDS ON WHO YOU ASK.
CAN MY INTERNET KEEP UP?
I DON'T EVER HAVE INTERNET
ISSUES.
FINALLY I JUST GAVE4@ UP THREE4@
MAINE PARENTS ALL WORKING FROM
HOME AND HELPING THEIR KIDS
LEARN REMOTELY.
WHEN IT COMES TO INTERNET
ACCESS, ALL THREE HAVE VERY
DIFFERENT EXPERIENCES HERE IN
WINDSOR.
I DON'T LIVE REALLY O4@N A ROAD@
THAT IS VERY REMOTE.
I DO HAVE CABLE AND I DO HAVE
INTERNET4@.
ASHLEY LAUNHED IS A MOM OF TWO
GIRLS IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL.
SHE IS THE BEST CASE SCENARIO.
HAVING NO INTERNET ISSUES I
WOULD HAVE TO SAY4@4@4@4@ MY REE
LEARNING EXPERIENCE ISN'T WHAT
I THOUGHT IT WAS GOING TO.
ONE OF HER DAUGHTERS HAS
RESPIRATORY PROBLEMS SO STAYING
HOME WAS THE SAFEST OPTION.
AND NOW LAUNHED IS ABLE TO WORK
FROM HOME TOO.
I SEE THIS BEING THE WAY OF THE
FUTURE.
ANOTHER DAY OF REMOTE LEARNING
IS DONE.
AMY MCGEE IS4@ A MOM OF FIVE KIS
ALL LEARNING FROM THEIR WEST
GARDENER HOME.
WE4@ ARE VERY FORTUNATE ENOUGH
THAT WE LIVE OFF OF A MAIN ROAD
SO OUR INTERNET SERVICE IS
PRETTY GOOD.
HER CONCERN WITH FIVE KIDS
USING THE INTERNET AT ONCE WILL
4@IT HOLD UP FOR EVERYONE?
OVER THE WEEK SHE SAID IT WAS
FINE BUT JUST A FEW BUFFERING
THINGS HERE AND T4@HERE.
CLOUDS AND RAIN4@ HAVEN'T KNOCKD
THE SATELLITE OUT.
OH, DO YOU KNOW THERE'S STILL A
COUPLE DAYS LEFT IN THE WEEK SO
WE'LL SEE.
AND THEN THERE'S KYM'S LAWSON'S
WEEK.4@
HE AND HIS WIFE ARE BOTH
WORKING FROM THEIR HOME AND
ALI'S HEAD AND THEIR FOUR KIDS
ARE LEARNING REMOTELY THE
INTERNET THIS WEEK SO FAR KNOCK
ON WOOD HAS THEM PRETTY
RELIABLE.
THEY HAVE THREE PROVIDERS4@
HUGHESNET SATELLITE INTERNET
HORIZON FROM SLAWSON CELL PHONE
AND A VERIZON HOTSPOT PROVIDED
BY THE KIDS SCHOOL DISTRICT.
FRIDAY AN EXAMPLE OF THEIR
INTERNET FRUSTRATION.
MY HIGH4@ SCHOOL AGE DAUGHTER AD
I BOTH HAD SOME TROUBLE TODAY
WITH THE HOTSPOT AT HOME4@ TRYIG
TO WORK4@ AND THEN FINALLY I JUT
GAVE UP AND HAD TO GO TO A
RESTAURANT4@ AND CONNECTED A
WI-FI TO GET SOME WORK DONE.
IT'S HUGELY FRUSTRATING.
WE HEAR THOSE STORIES DAY IN
AND DAY OUT.
NICK BATTISTA IS THE SENIOR
POLICY OFFICER AT THE ISLAND
INSTITUTE WHICH HELPS MAINE'S
COASTAL COMMUNITIES AND4@
INTERNET IS ITS PLACE BASED
INFRASTRUCTURE.
SO YOU MIGHT HAVE INTERNET ON
GOOD INTERNET ON YOUR STREET,
YOUR NEIGHBOR TWO STREETS AWAY
MI4@GHT NOT HAVE ACCESS TO THE
SAME LEVEL4@ OF SERVICE.
BROADBAND IS A STREET WHAT I
REFER IT WAS A STREET BY STREET
BATTLE.
PEGGY SCHAEFER IS THE EXECUTIVE
DIRECTOR OF CONENCT
MAIN AUTHORITY BECAUSE IT
REALLY DEPENDS ON WHERE YOU
LIVE, WHAT YOUR CONNECTIVITY4@ S
LIKE.
IN MAY THE STATE SECURED
INTERNET ACCESS FOR MORE THAN
26000 STUDENTS WHO REPORTED
FACING CONNECTIVITY ISSUES
USING MONEY FROM THE KERES ACT.
IN JULY MORE THAN 75 PERCENT
OF MAINE VOTERS APPROVED 15
MILLION DOLLARS FOR BROADBAND
INFRASTRUCTURE.
IT'S A REALLY AUTON FIRST STEP
FOR THE STATE.
EVEN BEFORE THE PANDEMIC,
BROADBAND WAS A MAJOR PRIORITY.
SENATOR4@ SHENNA BELLOWS IS ONE
OF THE CO-CHAIRS OF THE
BROADBAND CAUCUS IN THE
LEGISLATURE4@.
KIDS ARE GOING TO FALL FURTHER
BEHIND.
4@WE'RE GOING TO SEE A GREATER
GAP BETWEEN THE HAVES AND THE
HAVE NOTS4@ UNLESS WE TAKE ACTIN
4@TO ADDRESS THIS TO SOLVE THIS
DIGITAL DIVIDE.
THERE ARE SEVERAL THINGS THAT
NEED TO HAPPEN.
IT'S GOING TO TAKE TIME.
IT'S GOING TO TAKE INVESTMENT
FROM P4@UBLIC AND PRIVATE
PARTNERSHIPS AS WELL4@ AS FEDERL
FUNDING AND IT'S GOING TO TAKE
A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF HOW
MANY HOMES ARE LACKING
INTERNET.
IT REALLY TAKES A SIGNIFICANT
PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN THE STATE,
BETWEEN INTERNET SERVICE4@
PROVIDERS AND THE COMMUNITIES
THEY STORE SERVE INCLUDING
SCHOOLS TO FIGURE OUT H4@OW TO
CRACK THIS NUT.
AND IT DOESN'T HAPPEN OVERNIGHT
.
SO THERE IS A SPEED TEST PILOT
. SO THERE IS A SPEED TEST PILOT4@ PROJECT4@ HAPPENING IN WESTERN
MAINE.
IT IS STARTING TO GENERATE A
MAP YOU SEE HERE PEOPLE CAN
REPORT THEIR OWN INTERNET
ACCESS AND SPEEDS OR LACK THERE
OF AND THERE IS SOME HOPE IN
THE IMMEDIATE FUTURE4@ FOR
HUNDREDS OF MAINE STUDENTS
CONENCT KIDS.
NOW IS A NEW INITIATIVE BY THE
MILLS ADMINISTRATION TO FURTHER
CONNECT MAINE STUDENTS TO HIGH
SPEED INTERNET ACCESS.
THERE IS UP TO 12 MILLION
DOLLARS FOR4@ PROJECTS ALREADY
AWARDED AND THE PROGRAM FUNDED
BY THE CARERS ACT IS EXPECTED
TO CONNECT AN ESTIMATED SEVEN
HUNDRED4@ KIDS TO HIGH SPEED
INTERNET IN AREAS IDENTIFIED BY
THE DEPARTMENT4@ OF EDUCATION AD
CONNECT MAINE.
IT WILL HAPPEN FAST.
THE INFRASTRUCTURE NEEDS TO BE4@
BUILT BY THE END OF THIS YEAR
WHICH IS THE DEADLINE TO USE
THE FUNDING AND WE EXPECT