PORTLAND, MAINE, September 8 - Maine Fiber Company, Inc. (MFC) announced today that they have signed a multi-million dollar, 20 year agreement with the University of Maine System (UMS) to lease fiber optic lines around the State of Maine which will connect all of their campuses with an ultra-fast fiber optic communication network.

MFC Chief Executive Officer Dwight L. Allison III said, “This project creates real economic benefits to the State by enabling educational opportunities, economic development, and job creation. Increased network capacity for the University System will allow its campuses to maintain their leadership positions among educational and research institutions worldwide for years to come.”

This initiative supports broadband for secondary education, institutional research and collaboration with public and private research institutions throughout the United States. The fiber optic network has been made available to the University at a very low cost through a $25.4 million dollar American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) grant from the National Telecommunication and Information Administration (NTIA) which funded the Three Ring Binder middle mile fiber optic project.

This fiber optic lease compliments and interconnects with the Maine Research and Education Network (MaineREN). MaineREN was founded by UMS and The Jackson Laboratory to deliver the infrastructure necessary for high-technology research.

UMS was an early advocate and catalyst in bringing the ARRA grant to Maine that made the network possible. In 2009, Jeff Letourneau, Executive Director of Networkmaine at UMS, convened a group of stakeholders, including State officials, representatives from the University and several Maine telecommunications companies to address gaps in broadband coverage in Maine. From these early meetings, Fletcher Kittredge and Biddeford based broadband provider GWI took on the competitive grant proposal process with the NTIA and succeeded in securing a $25.4 million grant and $7 million in private matching funds to form the independent and carrier neutral Maine Fiber Company, Inc., which is building and managing the fiber network for all telecommunications carriers in Maine to use on an equal basis.

With minimal additional future investment, MaineREN will now be enormously scalable to meet the future connectivity and speed needs of Maine’s students and researchers. The project will provide UMS with low-cost, long-term access to fiber throughout the state, and connect eleven designated University campuses and outreach centers across the state of Maine on a world-class gigabit-speed network.

This fiber optic cable is constructed with the most modern glass fibers available, is capable of supporting ultra fast broadband speeds, and is hardened to withstand Maine’s harsh weather conditions.

The fiber network is scheduled to be complete by November 2012.

About Maine Fiber Company

Maine Fiber Company (MFC) is a privately owned dark-fiber development and management company supporting all telecom carriers in Maine. MFC was formed to oversee the construction, maintenance and leasing of a 1,100-mile, high-capacity fiber optic network throughout rural Maine. The network is to be built through a combination of a federal grant and private investment. MFC’s mission is to enhance ´middle mile´ fiber access for carriers and institutions looking to provide quality broadband services to customers in many areas of Maine, including some of the most rural areas of the State.

About Three Ring Binder Project

To see more details about the 1,100 mile high-capacity, open-access fiber network, please see go to the Maine Fiber Company website (www.mainefiberco.com).

About the University of Maine System

Established in 1968, the University of Maine System is the state’s largest educational enterprise. It has an annual enrollment of more than 42,000 students and serves over 500,000 individuals annually through educational and cultural offerings. More than two-thirds of its alumni—nearly 120,000 people—live in Maine. The University of Maine System features seven universities—some with multiple campuses—located across the state, as well as nine University College outreach centers, a law school, and an additional 75 interactive distance learning sites. For more information, visit www.maine.edu.


For more information or to speak with the MFC program manager Joshua Broder, please contact Eliza Mathias at emathias@tilsontech.com or 207-272-2295.