In this newsletter:

• Opening ceremony!
• Get your project progress update
• Helpful tip #1 – learn about Wi-fi calling
• Help choosing your router

It takes a village

We had a small ceremony last week to celebrate lighting up the residents of Georgetown. As we put the invite list together, we were reminded of how many folks had a hand in bringing us to this point. We’d like to take a second to thank some of them here – Mark Aukeman who kicked this whole thing off, David Tudor, Peter Degnan, Jeff Mann, the Island Institute and in particular Nick Battista who has been with us for years and years, Kendra Jo Grindle who started at Island Institute and now is leading the community charge at the Maine Connectivity Authority (MCA), Peggy Schafer who made state broadband policy a reality under her leadership at ConnectME and Stephanie MacLagan who has kept working tirelessly with communities at ConnectME and now the MCA. Amanda Campbell and Mary McDonald at the Town Office, and our state reps Eloise Vitelli and Alison Hepler who have been attentive to this issue for both us and the state. Of course the Axiom and Hawkeye crews and there are so many others across the community to thank! We’re proud we continue to be a model for the state of how to get things done. Thank you all.

Now the Project Update

As of the end of last week, Axiom has installed over 70 homes with a goal of 6-8 houses a day. The overall goal is still 200 active accounts by the end of the year. In another milestone, Hawkeye has completed installing steel cable strand across the entire island. We are still on schedule to submit the newly required pole work for inspection to CCI in mid-November.

Axiom is calling the number you provided at sign up to schedule your installation. Their number is a 207 number from Machais, usually coming up on caller ID as Axiom – pick up the phone. Not everyone has been called yet, so don’t panic. Again, the areas ready to be installed are Town Center, Beaver Valley, Bowman’s Landing, Robinhood and Bay Point.

Five Islands, Seguinland Road, Indian Point and other points – we will know more about the schedule once CCI, the pole owner, signs off on the pole work. We still anticipate lighting up those areas in late winter/early Spring. Stay tuned.

Tell your Neighbor

Yes, Virginia, affordable fast internet is real!

Occasionally we’ve heard skepticism that this project would happen, which was a fair question at one point. However, the 70 plus folks and growing might want to invite their neighbors over to see how stable, reliable internet feels. With a May completion date in sight, we don’t want to miss anyone who wants or needs service in this round!! Stringing fiber from the pole to the home and installing the terminals at the house costs a fair bit more than the $99 fee. We can subsidize the cost of the install through the end date of the construction phase. After that for any new install we will have to charge the actual cost taking into account the length from the nearest pole on the road and the equipment price – a minimum $500 for a new install. NOW is the time for them to call Axiom at 207-271-2801 and sign up! As always, the GBLLC crew is happy to answer any questions about the project.

As always, please be patient with all the crews since large trucks on our narrow roads make life difficult for all involved. If you have any issues, please contact Terry.

Helpful Tip #1: Wi-Fi Calling

First in a series of tips to get the most out of your fiber

Cell phone carriers offer the option to receive and make calls over your cell phone using the wi-fi network in your house instead the cell network. This is very, very helpful in areas with low signal coverage – i.e. most of Georgetown. Before, when our DSL was barely better than cell coverage this was a good idea, but not a total substitute. With fiber and a new router in the house, this option will be rock solid stable and a real substitute for your land line. Most of the time it’s one click on your phone to enable. Links below – yes Android phones do have wi-fi calling, but they are too numerous to list here! Same with carriers – all of them should allow this feature.

If you have an iphone, you can read how this works here.

If you have Verizon, you can read here how it works

AT&T Subscribers read here

Buy your Router

Seriously, start your research on the best router for your house. Currently most of you have a combination modem/router from Consolidated that will not work with your new fiber hook up. Most of you also want to hook up multiple devices across your home and will need a wireless router with sufficient coverage to achieve your dreams.

We recommend that you order a router that uses the WiFi6 standard, the new standard, which will add to the longevity of the unit. Compared to 6 months ago, most routers now sold are WiFi6. The review at the end of the second link gives a nice, concise explanation of nomenclature, which can be very confusing.

NYT Wirecutter

CNET (with an FAQ on what is a Wireless Router)

The other option is to lease a router from Axiom for $7.95 per month. With this option, they would install the modem and maintain it remotely after installation. Note that GBLLC does not receive any fees for the leased router, so it does not matter to us whether you purchase or lease.

Assigning a Representative

It’s November and many seasonal residents, are reluctantly leaving town even as installs are happening. We are allowing another entity to be the homeowner’s Authorized Representative. Simply email Terry and we will forward a form to be completed. It is our desire to make these efforts as efficient and painless as possible.

Service Terms and Pricing

New service may be deferred up to 12 months after service is installed. In other words, customers can sign up for the $99 install offer, then defer the start of service for up to 12 months. We understand that many have continuing commitments to Consolidated Communications, and we want to reduce barriers to taking advantage of the low initial install costs. Mention that you want service deferred when you sign up with Axiom.

As alway if you have more questions, need info on priciing please contact us or check out georgetownbroadband.com. Remember call Axiom at 207-271-2801 to sign up for service or email us with questions about the project. We are here to help!

Warm regards

Georgetown Broadband Team