Cornerstone Communications to Extend High-Speed Internet to Five Maine Communities
CHARLESTON and PORTLAND, MAINE (September 9, 2011) Cornerstone Communications and Maine Fiber Company, Inc. (MFC) are pleased to announce that Cornerstone has received five grants from the ConnectME Authority to build broadband high-speed Internet infrastructure to five Maine communities. Cornerstone will make use of Maine Fiber Company’s Three Ring Binder, a 1,100 mile statewide “middle-mile” fiber optic cable network, to provide last-mile connections in the towns of Charleston, Chester, Hudson, Lincoln, and Old Town, all located in Penobscot County.
“We’re pleased to have received funding from the ConnectME Authority,” said Andrew Hinkley, President of Cornerstone Communications. “Access to high-speed Internet drives economic development and improved access to education and healthcare in our rural area. By building our own fiber optic lateral cables connected to the Three Ring Binder cable network, we’ll be able to provide high-speed Internet access to communities that currently have no access.”
Created by the Maine Legislature in 2006 with the aim of expanding broadband Internet access to the most rural, unserved areas of Maine, the ConnectME Authority has provided 76 grants to date to fund broadband Internet expansion throughout the state. The current round of grant funding is providing partial funding for the five Cornerstone infrastructure projects, with matching funds being provided by Cornerstone.
“Three Ring Binder infrastructure in this part of Penobscot County will be completed by the end of 2011,” said Amy Hayes of Tilson Fiber Technology, LLC (TFT), and Program Manager for the Three Ring Binder. “We’re excited that Cornerstone will be able to use the network to provide broadband Internet for hundreds of households that currently have no access to high speed Internet. On the whole, the Three Ring Binder will make broadband Internet more readily accessible to more than 110,000 households throughout the state, as well as 600 community anchor institutions, including hospitals, rural healthcare clinics, community colleges, University of Maine campuses, libraries, government facilities, and public safety departments.” MFC has hired TFT to construct, lease, and maintain the network.
Contact:
Cornerstone: Patricia Hinkley at pat.hinkley@ccmaine.net or (207) 564-5000; orMaine Fiber Co.: Emma P. Lishness at elishness@tilsontech.com or (207) 712-4595.
About Cornerstone Communications: Cornerstone Communications, LLC is a Maine family-owned and operated company, headquartered in Charleston. Cornerstone was certified in 2003 by the Maine Public Utilities Commission to do business as a competitor in areas then served by Bell Atlantic (now FairPoint New England). Cornerstone began with a goal of providing affordable DSL high-speed Internet service in rural Maine. It has since expanded its service to more than 35 communities, primarily in western Penobscot and southern Piscataquis counties. Cornerstone now offers competitive phone service to business and residential customers in many of those areas. For more information, please visit www.ccmaine.net.
About Maine Fiber Company, Inc.: Maine Fiber Company, Inc. (MFC) is a Maine owned and operated private company that is overseeing the construction, leasing, and maintenance of the Three Ring Binder, an open access, 1,100 mile high capacity fiber optic network. The Three Ring Binder will make broadband access more readily available to 110,000 households and 600 community anchor institutions across the state of Maine. For more information, please visit www.mainefiberco.com.