Mahoosuc Region Project Will Provide High-Speed Internet to More Than 6,600 Locations

A multi-year partnership between the Northern Forest Center, Community Concepts Finance Corporation, and local communities in Maine’s Mahoosuc region has forged an agreement to construct more than 450 miles of high-speed fiber to provide broadband Internet to several areas of Western Maine.  

The project will address critical digital equity challenges in an area where more than 30% of households are considered “unserved” by high-speed internet and another 40% have service that is not expected to meet future demands. 

Maine Connectivity Authority and FirstLight Fiber signed a contract in November to provide high-speed connectivity to more than 6,600 locations that either don’t have access to the Internet or have access to slower broadband or copper-based connections.  

Grant funding from the Maine Connectivity Authority will cover roughly half of the cost of the $11 million project. The remainder will come from a $5.3-million investment from FirstLight, and contributions totaling $317,000 from the towns of Bethel, Greenwood, Gilead, Woodstock, and Oxford County.  

In addition to those communities, the project will benefit residents and small businesses in, Newry, Albany, Mason, Upton, Turner, North Turner, Buckfield, Hebron, Canton, Sumner, West Paris, Andover, Roxbury Pond, and North Norway. Construction has already begun on the project in the greater Bethel area and is due to be completed in 2029.  

The project has its roots in work to build the capacity of local communities to engage, organize, and advocate for investment in critical broadband expansion launched by the Center and Community Concepts Finance Corporation in 2017 as part of the Maine West initiative.  

“It’s been a long road to get to this point,” said Mike Wilson, senior program director for the Center. “From the first community forums to the Maine West Broadband Bootcamp, detailed infrastructure mapping, and facilitating collaboration among diverse communities, we feel great about our partnership with Community Concepts and the benefits that will come to local communities across the Mahoosuc region and beyond.” 

“The Northern Forest Center was instrumental in facilitating collaboration needed among towns in the Mahoosuc region and Oxford County to make this project come together — including negotiating reduced residential and commercial pricing for subscribers,” said Mia Purcell, CCFC vice president for economic development and impact. “Financial and technical assistance from the Center filled critical gaps in the process and helped secure a win-win-win outcome for communities, for FirstLight, and for subscribers.” 

“We are delighted to have awarded this grant and to leverage the collaborative nature of the Mahoosuc Broadband Committee, FirstLight, and the various municipalities that submitted this application,” said Andrew Butcher, president of the Maine Connectivity Authority. “When it comes to creating a network across the disparate and sprawling borders of Maine, the whole often has to be greater than the sum of its parts, and we look forward to seeing the connections and success that result from this important project.”