Vote ‘Yes’ on Question 1

To the Editor:

It has taken five years for my husband and I to have cable internet service. We consider ourselves among the fortunate residents in Norway to have high-speed internet service, especially with the pandemic requiring me to work from home. If we still had a DSL connection I would not be able to work remotely without a mobile hotspot. In addition to working remotely, our internet connection has allowed me to stay in touch with healthcare providers at MaineHealth and my nutritionist. I have also continued doing yoga by participating in online classes at home.

As I said, my husband and I feel lucky to have high-speed internet service, especially knowing that more than 85,000 Mainers do not have access to high speed internet. In July Maine voters have the opportunity to vote on a bond issue that will provide high-speed internet service in places that are underserved and unserved by high-speed broadband. The bond issue is for $15 million which will not solve the problem of poor or no internet service in the state. However, it is a step in the right direction.

I urge everyone to vote “yes” on Question 1 to build a better internet for Maine people.