PRESS RELEASE: Broadband Investments to be Showcased in Statewide Tour

Administering 100+ projects in over 200 communities, Maine Connectivity Authority seeks to highlight progress and partners

June 23, 2025 – PORTLAND – Maine Connectivity Authority (MCA), the public agency leading statewide broadband expansion and digital equity, is excited to kick off a summer tour celebrating the progress and momentum of connectivity efforts around the State. MCA president, Andrew Butcher, will visit over a dozen projects and investments in his 1984 Volkswagen van, highlighting almost 20 projects. MCA’s tour will begin on Monday, June 23, and have daily stops through Friday, June 27.

In the last three years, MCA has facilitated high-speed connections for 86,000 homes and businesses, representing a 26-percent increase in broadband access. To reinforce and sustain this investment, MCA has prioritized partnerships with other state agencies, nonprofit organizations, regional, Tribal, and municipal governments, internet service providers, and local leaders to support individuals facing barriers to using the internet even once it has been made available.

“Since 2021, $250 million in public and private funds have been invested in broadband to ensure that everyone in Maine can access and meaningfully use the internet–and our work is not done,” said Andrew Butcher, MCA President. Butcher will be meeting with a variety of policymakers, state leaders, residents, and business owners in communities across several Maine counties. “This is a chance to celebrate, express gratitude for those who have made this work possible, and take local insights into the next phase of our work. As we work to bridge the digital divide, our focus needs to be on the interconnection of places and people,” Butcher added.

“Buttercup,” the aptly named bright yellow VW van, will stop in western Maine first to meet with partners running digital skills classes and one-on-one tech support, including SAD44 Adult Education, public Wi-Fi hotspots at Maine Passive House and Bethel Library, and the Hope Association Connectivity Hub in Rumford. This Connectivity Hub is one of ten that MCA funded to reach individuals and communities facing the most barriers to high-speed connectivity.

Tuesday will begin in Augusta, where Butcher will convene with Maine DECD Commissioner Mike Duguay and other legislators, and later kick off the Digital Equity Partner Convening. The tour will visit Aroostook County on Wednesday, including a class led by a Digital Navigator and a site visit of one of the 91 new telehealth locations launched across the State.

"For the past two and a half years, we’ve worked alongside the Maine Connectivity Authority, the National Digital Equity Center, and the nonprofits and businesses of Aroostook County to bring digital skills and free devices to the people who need them most," said Jared Tapley, Regional Resiliency Planner at Northern Maine Development Commission. "This has always been about neighbors helping neighbors—connecting folks to jobs, healthcare, loved ones, and opportunity. We’re proud of what’s been built and look ahead with gratitude and hope for what’s still to come."

Thursday will include a public class about protections against online fraud with Sunrise County Economic Council, and will close with a community event with western Washington County communities to discuss infrastructure connectivity and priorities in their community. Butcher will complete the tour by visiting Midcoast Maine to meet with various stakeholder groups and gather key insights on the connectivity improvements and their impacts on small businesses and heritage industries. More information about the daily stops can be found at: www.maineconnectivity.org/driving-connex.

Last month, MCA received a notification from the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) terminating three grants totaling $35M in funding for Maine. The elimination of this funding will be felt by many partner organizations highlighted on this tour, including the National Digital Equity Center and many partner on-site locations for digital skills classes. Now more than ever, it is critical to understand the work underway across the state and share its impacts.

“This disruption is felt by Maine communities, partner organizations, and internet service providers that MCA has been working with for years. We have been preparing and building our vision for what connectivity should look like for Maine, and are right on that precipice of being able to make it a reality,” Butcher added.


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About MCA: Focusing on projects, places, and people, the Maine Connectivity Authority (MCA) advances digital equity and works to improve connectivity for all Maine people. Established in 2021, MCA is Maine’s public agency charged with achieving universal access to reliable, affordable high-speed internet service statewide. MCA has three statutory goals:
Expand effective, accessible connectivity in every part of the state;
Support the creation of secure, affordable, reliable, competitive, sustainable, and forward-looking internet infrastructure that can meet future needs; and
Ensure that all residents, businesses, and institutions in Maine are able to take full advantage of the economic, health, educational, and other opportunities available through connectivity services.