Vienna, Maine Broadband Faces customer Hurdle After Launch
Vienna, Maine, a town of roughly 600 residents in western Kennebec County, has activated its new municipal broadband network, but is actively seeking more subscribers to ensure its financial sustainability. The Vienna Broadband Authority estimates it needs 270 customers to become viable, and currently has 240 signed up. Residents are being encouraged to test the service at the town’s fire station.
The project, years in the making, reflects challenges faced by many Maine towns pursuing broadband expansion under the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021. Several communities began planning networks onyl to encounter increased competition from existing providers who afterward announced their own expansion plans.
Vienna’s initiative stemmed, in part, from a lack of commitment from providers like Consolidated Communications (operating as Fidium) to build high-speed service in the sparsely populated area and its surrounding communities. Though, Fidium later introduced fiber service to portions of Vienna, and the town’s broadband authority chair, Jim Anderberg, stated the company initially made securing pole access challenging.
Currently, Fidium offers introductory rates of $30 per month for the first year, undercutting the $60 monthly fee charged by Axiom, the Machias-based company managing Vienna’s network, for comparable internet speeds. Fidium’s standard rates typically rise to around $50 per month after the initial period.
Despite the price difference,Anderberg is appealing to residents to support the local network,framing it as a community investment similar to choosing a local bookstore over a large online retailer. “Maybe you pay more but you’re helping out the local economy,” he saeid.
The rollout will be gradual, with approximately 50 customers connected in the coming months and full access expected by late fall.
Vienna Selectman Dave Castles, while not directly involved with the broadband authority, noted the impressive sign-up rate given the town’s demographics, including a important number of residents still relying on landline service. “You have a lot of people that are still using … landlines,” he observed.
The Vienna project builds on a regional effort that faced setbacks in 2022 when Readfield voters rejected a similar municipal network following a $14,000 advertising campaign by a broadband industry group, which raised concerns about the risks of building new networks.
This article is based on reporting from the Bangor Daily News and The Maine Monitor.
