Large State-Owned Infrastructure Project Advances in Maine, Seeks New Partners

Maine Connectivity Authority, the public agency leading statewide broadband expansion, seeks new partners to support operations, maintenance, engineering, and commercialization services for the Maine Online Optical Statewide Enabling Network. The statewide border-to-border fiber ‘highway’ is among the solutions MCA is leading to improve broadband access for all people and communities in Maine now and into the future. MOOSE Net is a middle-mile network made up of high-capacity fiber optic wires that carries large amounts of data at high speeds over long distances, enabling an array of other telecommunications infrastructure. When complete, it will serve as a commercial product for internet service providers, data processing centers, and mobile carriers, and will be available at competitive rates to community anchor institutions like libraries, hospitals, and universities to further increase public access to broadband statewide. To achieve the project’s goals, MOOSE Net will require a qualified partner for operations, maintenance, and commercialization. MOOSE Net’s construction is being facilitated by a $30 million federal grant from the National Telecommunications and Information Administration.