How’s your internet? For Maine, fiber is the clear choice

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In parts of Maine where cell signals fade and neighbors are miles apart, reliable internet has long been out of reach—but that’s quickly changing.

Communities that once lacked high-speed service are finally getting connected. And when it comes to internet technology, fiber-optic networks stand clearly above the rest.

Unlike cable or wireless, fiber-optic internet from providers like Fidium offers symmetrical upload and download speeds. Fidium delivers speeds up to two gigs over a 100 percent fiber network, enabling seamless streaming, stable remote meetings, and access to online opportunities in education, business, and healthcare.

For Jim Letteney of Waldoboro, the arrival of fiber has been transformative. A lifelong Mainer, Jim and his wife spent years struggling with unreliable connections—sometimes even leaving home to get service.

“We got rid of our landlines several years ago, and cell phones worked partially, but not very well,” he says. “There’s nothing more frustrating than to have a call, you think everything is going fine, and you end up with dead air.”

Before fiber, their internet depended on a generator-powered tower. In winter, the tower was sometimes only accessible by snowmobile. They’d cut through the snow to refill the gas tanks, just to maintain a signal.

“To be able to sit at the kitchen table, have a coffee, and make a call, it has been terrific,” Jim says. “The internet is so fast, your head spins. The next step is to look at how we can better utilize streaming.”

As a retired teacher, Jim sees fiber as a tool for lifelong learning.

“I grew up in the ‘go-to-library’ days. Now the library is in your pocket,” he says.

“For Waldoboro, it’s like a shot of adrenaline. It enhances life and creates opportunities for older folks to share knowledge with their grandchildren, and vice versa. It can move all of us forward.”

Jim and his neighbors were connected to fiber earlier this year through a statewide effort to reshape connectivity. In just six months, Fidium extended fiber to over 36,000 homes and businesses through a partnership with the Maine Connectivity Authority and Lincoln County. As a result, Lincoln County became the first in Maine with fiber access in every town.

In Maine since 2021, Fidium has built more than 20,000 fiber network miles, reaching over 459,000 homes and businesses in 340 towns. Much of that growth has come through 11 public-private projects with the Maine Connectivity Authority, which selected Fidium as its partner for fiber expansion.

“Fiber internet access is going to change everything,” says Sarah Davis, vice president of Market Development for Fidium. “Having the choice to live in some of the most beautiful areas of Maine that people once considered remote and unconnected, because they now are connected, is truly incredible.”

Among the collaborations was fiber infrastructure construction in the Greater East Grand Region. For one of Maine’s most rural regions, Fidium brought life-changing fiber access to nearly 2,000 residents.

“Reliable internet means people can live in our communities and still work anywhere,” says Dan Daggett, president of the board of directors for the Greater East Grand Region. “Fiber access is a major step toward revitalizing the region, encouraging people to settle here, invest locally, and build their lives in our towns. Fidium’s expansion to the Greater East Grand Region, in partnership with the Maine Connectivity Authority, proves that connectivity unlocks opportunities once limited by geography.”

From Wells to Wytopitlock and beyond, fiber brings faster, more reliable internet along with new possibilities for education, healthcare, business, and community growth. For Maine, it’s a transformation—and a foundation for a stronger future.

To learn more, visit https://fidiumfiber.com/wgme.