At a critical time, survey aims to identify broadband gaps across Maine
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A new statewide survey aims to measure broadband connectivity in Maine households.
Mission Broadband, a division of Bangor-based consulting firm ProInfoNet that aims to expand broadband to underserved communities nationwide, has launched a survey to identify connectivity gaps in Maine.
The firm's "Social Distancing Broadband Impact Survey" aims to measure home broadband performance during the ongoing public health crisis in order to measure gaps in availability, inadequate performance and socieconomic indicators.
“COVID-19 is bringing the broadband infrastructure issue to the forefront for many residents and municipalities," said John Dougherty, Mission Broadband's vice president and general manager, in a Wednesday news release. "Having their input will help identify areas needing better broadband solutions."
He later told Mainebiz that the survey is voluntary and anonymous, and that the information gathered will be made available to local communities and state agencies so they can use it in broadband infrastructure planning.
Dougherty also said that Mission Broadband is working with the city of Bangor and the town of Fort Fairfield, who are currently in the data-gathering stage for their broadband projects. The survey is one part of the effort, along with public meetings and interviews with key city or town stakeholders.
"The data gathered helps build vision and mission statements as well as overall broadband project plans and feasibility study for each community, he said. "These documents are the basis for next steps in the process, which may include mapping, engineering, design, request for proposals, proforma, contracts, project management, etc. The overall project can be lengthy, so getting started is the first big hurdle."
Those who are interested can take the statewide survey here.
View from one provider
OTELCO Inc. (Nasdaq: OTEL), a provider of business and residential voice and data communications solutions in seven states including Maine, reports a 70% jump in calls to its customer-service centers since stay-at-home orders went into effect.
The company, though headquartered in Alabama, is led from Maine, where it has about 105 employees or half of the total.
OTELCO attributes the recent call-center queries to a combination of customers upgrading internet connections to get higher speeds, and low-income households taking advantage of its offer of two free months of DSL service.
"This clearly shows that the pandemic has caused an increase in demand for bandwidth among consumers, and that Maine has a persistent low-income homework gap," Trevor Jones, OTECLO's New Gloucester-based vice president of marketing, sales and customer service, told Mainebiz.
He also predicts that many of the changes in broadband usage that result from COVID-19 will persist over the long term, and welcomes Mission Broadband’s initiative to gather statewide information.
"There have been similar surveys to a broader population conducted in recent years, [but] the response has been relatively small," Jones added. "If we can get a larger sample, we will get a more accurate picture of customer demand."
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