Area residents lack cell, Internet access

COUNTY —  Weak Internet and cell service has been identified in parts of Roxbury, Byron, Hartford, Lovell, and areas down Route 26 in Oxford, according to preliminary results of efforts to map the region's access to such services.

The Western Maine Economic Development Council (WMEDC) is currently seeking representatives for each town in Oxford County to identify the county's weak spots in Internet service, and brainstorm ways to address those areas, said WMEDC Director Linda Walbridge.

According to Walbridge, poor Internet access makes it difficult for businesses to compete and slows economic development.

"You can't start a business and be able to compete if you don't have Internet access," said Walbridge. "Internet access, cell access ... are basically key to allowing Oxford County to grow."

The Internet committee will send out a survey to each of 36 towns in the county, to help pinpoint which areas are getting little to no Internet service, she said. The committee will meet once per month.

The committee currently has 25 members, said Walbridge, but is seeking far more representatives.

"We [the committee] essentially have to build a case, find out exactly where the holes are in Internet service in Oxford County, and build that map for ourselves," she said. "First, is even beginning to know where those holes are."

According to Walbridge, poor Internet and cell service is not just a problem in Oxford County.

"It's a problem in all rural areas in Maine," she said, "... . We have spots all over Oxford County."

The Department of Commerce's Economics and Statistics Administration (ESA) and the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) recently reported that 70 percent of urban households have broadband at home, compared with 57 percent of rural households.

A huge hole in cell coverage in the Roxbury-Byron area, said Walbridge, has not only become an economic problem; it can also interfere with emergency responses. There are also areas in Hartford and Lovell where Internet connectivity is "horrendous," she said.

"Until we have Internet service, who's going to build there?" she said.

Walbridge said large carriers, like Oxford Networks, are not willing to wire rural areas with fiber-optic cables where only a few people are living, because it's simply not "cost-efficient," she said. It can cost much more than a business is willing to pay, she said.

"What we need to do is figure out ways to work with communities and advocate on a regional basis to do this piece by piece, until we have covered both Internet and cell [service]," she said.

The next meeting of the committee is slated for late December or early January. Walbridge encourages people to contact WMEDC Interim Executive Director, Mia Purcell at mpurcell@community-concepts.org or 739-6543 for more information.

"We need broad representation," said Walbridge. "We still could use some [members]. It's for people who generally care about this issue, and care about Oxford County moving forward economically."

"It's crucial to Oxford County," she said.