Pandemic is stressing Maine’s internet speeds

Increased remote work and schooling and aging or sparse internet connections are affecting rural Maine. Video calls drop or freeze. Family members find only one person at a time can use streaming applications. Mainers returning to the state to work and live are finding it a challenge with the slower internet. Faster and more reliable technologies might not be available in certain areas or are not affordable. Those stories also are resonating with lawmakers, who are increasingly hearing how internet limitations are holding back Maine’s ability to grow its economy and workforce. They are starting to respond. The Legislature stalled in the past on investments like a $15 million broadband bond blocked by Republican lawmakers in 2019. But voters passed a $15 million broadband bond in July 2020 as pandemic restrictions revealed the extent of Maine’s high-speed internet shortfall. Last Nov, Gov. Janet Mills (D-ME) awarded $5.6 million in CARES Act funding to update internet infrastructure for rural schools and high-speed internet development is part of the age-friendly plan the Gov and AARP Maine announced recently.  “The need for fast, reliable broadband isn’t just a luxury for binge-watching Netflix. It’s becoming a matter of life or death for rural America," said internet publisher and knitting expert Clara Parkes.