Maine Receives Nearly $50 Million in Federal Funding to Expand High-Speed Internet Access

The Maine Connectivity Authority (MCA) announced Wednesday that Maine will be receiving $48.4 million in federal funding to help expand access to high-speed internet throughout the state.

MCA president Andrew Butcher has reportedly said that this money will support infrastructure bringing internet to 22,000 homes and businesses.

This will continue the work that the MCA has done in recent years connecting nearly 135,000 locations with high-quality internet.

Butcher has explained that this latest round of funding will provide dedicated funding to all parts of the state that are currently, according to News Center Maine.

This nearly $50 million award, however, only represents a portion of the federal funding initially earmarked for the state, which totaled $272 million.

Shortly before this money was distributed, the federal government restructured the Broadband Equity Access and Deployment (BEAD) Program, the source of this award, such that it would only fund infrastructure projects.

MCA has indicated that the federal agency responsible for BEAD will provide guidance by March on the fate of the remaining funds originally set aside for Maine, whether that be delivering them, alter the authorized use of them, or cutting them altogether.

“Technology is rapidly evolving; our demand for use of connectivity is rapidly evolving,” Butcher told News Center Maine. “Making sure that people are able to participate, are able to afford, and that we have reliable networks to ensure a continuous connectivity is really critical.”

[RELATED: Susan Collins Announces Approval of $48.4 Million Plan to Expand Maine’s Broadband Internet Access]

In November of last year, Sen. Susan Collins (R) announced that the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) had approved Maine’s $48.4 million infrastructure plan.

According to Sen. Collins, Maine’s plan was one of the first states in country to receive NTIA approval.

Projects approved through the BEAD proposal include Maine-based and national providers using a range of technologies, including fiber, hybrid fiber-coax, and low-Earth-orbit (LEO) satellite service.

[RELATED: Maine’s Plan to Expand Broadband Internet Access with $272 Million Grant Approved by Federal Government]

Maine’s broader $272 million plan was approved in June of 2024 as part of the $42.45 billion BEAD Program, which was established by the 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and is housed under the umbrella of the NTIA’s Internet for All initiative that was launched in 2022.

It was said at the time, the dispersal of these funds was to be guided by Maine’s five-year Broadband Action Plan and the state’s Digital Equity Plan.

The Broadband Action Plan “identifies priorities for investment in broadband and digital equity, and serves as the state’s 5-year road map to bring the economic, health, educational, and social benefits of high-speed internet to all Mainers.”