Vienna Maine recently launched its own municipal fiber network, finally bringing affordable next-generation broadband access to the small town’s 600 residents. As soon as service was made available, 240 of the town's 400 plus households immediately signed up for service, and the town’s focus has shifted to demonstrating the value of fast affordable access to remaining locals that regional incumbents are trying to lure away with temporary promotional offers.
The Vienna Broadband Authority recently told the Bangor Daily News it needs 270 consistent subscriber households to maintain financial viability, so they’ve taken to demonstrating high speed connectivity at the local firehouse in order to pique the public interest.
The Vienna network was made possible largely thanks to a $2.3 million grant in 2023 from the Maine Connectivity Authority (MCA), which in turn was made possible by the 2021 American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) passed by Congress. The town-owned network is being run in cooperation with Machias-based Axiom.
Axiom is providing locals with three options for service: symmetrical 100 megabit per second (Mbps) service for $60 a month; symmetrical 250 Mbps service for $65 a month; and symmetrical 500 Mbps service for $110 a month. The town also offers yearly seasonal rates of $612, $663, and $1122, respectively.
The municipality’s pricing comes without usage caps, hidden fees, or long term contracts. Interested locals have to pay a $99 installation deposit that is refunded once a customer is connected.
“Our current choices of Internet access over the phone lines or dish antenna is the best we can get and this is about 1/10th the minimum speed the federal government defines as broadband,” the Vienna broadband authority website states.
“Many of our neighboring towns that have cable TV as an option are finding even that is too slow and unreliable for their current and future needs.”
The origins of the town’s interest in municipal broadband extend back to 2022, as local Maine Communities, frustrated by slow, expensive broadband access during the COVID lockdowns, banded together to improve their options. Vienna took things into its own hands after local cable giant Charter spent $14,000 to scare locals away from a much bigger regional project.
As with many municipal builds, the Vienna network has already incentivized previously apathetic regional private ISPs to finally begin trying. Local provider Fidium, owned by Consolidated Communications, began offering discounted fiber access almost immediately after the new municipal network was introduced after years of dragging its feet.
In that sense the benefits of local municipal broadband are twofold: they directly provide affordable access, and encourage a competitive incentive for existing providers to try harder. On the flip side, as more potential customers are lured by promotional offers, municipal funding softens and threatens network viability. Should the municipal network fail, incumbent providers quickly revert to charging exorbitant prices for substandard service.
Vienna Broadband Authority Chair, Jim Anderberg, has previously likened this to a “David and Goliath Situation,” pressuring Vienna to further educate locals as to why locally-controlled broadband access tends to better serve the public interest over the long term.
Inline image of Vienna Fire Department gathering courtesy of Vienna Fire Department Facebook page
