Contractors for GoNetspeed work Thursday in Auburn. The company is preparing to bring fiber-optic internet service to the Lewiston and Auburn market this year.  Steve Collins/Sun Journal

AUBURN — There’s more good news for consumers in Lewiston and Auburn looking for true high-speed internet service. GoNetspeed, formerly OTELCO, based in Oneonta, Alabama, is in what it calls the “making ready” phase of its network build-out in the the area, with crews spotted last week in bucket trucks checking lines in Auburn.

The company says it’s working with utility pole owners to ensure there is space for its fiber-optic network, ahead of construction on its infrastructure throughout Lewiston and Auburn later this year.

A statement from the company says: “In the coming months, we will have additional information to share, including our total investment, the total number of locations we plan to serve and where, along with additional details on when service may be available to residents and businesses within our Lewiston-Auburn service area.”

GoNetspeed serves residential and business customers in Maine, Alabama, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Missouri, New York, Pennsylvania, Vermont and West Virginia. The company claims to be one of the largest independent internet providers in the East.

Contractors for GoNetspeed check utility lines Thursday in Auburn, ahead of its planned fiber-optic internet network installation later this year. Steve Collins/Sun Journal

Fiber-optic internet service is considered superior from internet delivered via cable or digital subscriber lines (telephone lines) for a number of reasons. It is connected with a dedicated service to each home, not a shared service like cable. Fiber-optic delivers a superfast connection using light signals, which don’t degrade over distance. Security is also enhanced by fiber-optic, which does not radiate its signal the way copper does, making it much more difficult to tap or hack.

GoNetspeed is continuing to expand its network, opening access to communities throughout Maine to a high-speed, 100% fiber internet infrastructure. Biddeford, Brewer, Brunswick, Cape Elizabeth, Cumberland, Falmouth, Gorham, Gray, New Gloucester, Old Orchard Beach, Old Town Orono, Saco, Scarborough, Topsham, Westbrook, Windham and Yarmouth have access to GoNetspeed’s service.

The company said many other communities throughout the state are also well on their way to having access to GoNetspeed’s fiber internet.

For more information about GoNetspeed, or to inquire about service in your area, visit gonetspeed.com.