All-In Programs & Funding
Maine is ALL IN to get Internet for all!
We can get there from here through the deployment of $150M from the American Rescue Plan’s Capital Projects Fund and the Maine Jobs and Recovery Program. Funding through the Maine Connectivity Authority is designed to reach the last mile in the most rural places, connect communities ready to scale their infrastructure, prepare communities for investment, ensure affordable options for everyone, and invest in partnerships to build a modern broadband infrastructure for Maine.
MCA estimates that the All-In Program will bring high-speed broadband to over 30,000 homes and businesses in rural and remote areas. The programming will be grounded in MCA’s parallel work developing a statewide Digital Equity and 5-Year Broadband Masterplan, the development of which are also slated to launch this fall.
New programs and initiatives will launch in October 2022, and will build from and expand the ConnectMaine activities. The program structure crafted by MCA will be guided and refined through extensive public engagement during the summer of 2022 (scroll down to see opportunities for public engagement).
Program Goals:
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Everyone who wants a connection can get one by the end of 2024
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High speed internet must be affordable for all
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Community-driven solutions at a regional scale ensure sustainable investments
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Scale and public benefit through public private partnerships
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Consistent and clear processes through data-driven decision making
Program Principles:
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Leverage Investments: Work across silos and sectors to correct market failures due to low premise density
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Seek Regional Equity: Emphasize geography that enables network-approach; Scale for speed of connecting as many as possible
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Favor Future-Proof Networks: Enable innovation and new-value from public-private partnerships
Public and partner input is essential in shaping All-In Programming!
We are committed to providing space for meaningful information sharing and feedback. We are hosting a variety of events in several formats through the summer of 2022, leading up to the program launch this fall. Since June we've already had over 50 direct conversations with communities and internet service providers. We are also hosting a series of virtual AMA (Ask MCA Anything) events where participants can interact directly (including video and audio) with our team members. Please click on the event name to view the recording or register for any of these events. Each event takes place from 12-1 pm.
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Aug 10 - Reach Me Line Extensions
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Aug 15 - Connect the Ready Grants
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Sep 21 - Enabling Middle Mile Partnerships
All-In Engagement Kickoff Webinar
MCA recently hosted a virtual event where we shared additional program details and
timelines, and collected stakeholder feedback as we continue to design programs.
All-In Engagement Event RSVP
In the coming weeks, we will be announcing a series of virtual roundtable discussions focused on individual All-In funding programs as we work towards program launches in October 2022. In each of these events, we will solicit feedback, listen, learn, and facilitate as much productive dialogue and exchange of ideas as possible. If you would like to take part in these events, please RVSP using the form below.
