Boothbay hosting special selectmen’s meeting on broadband options

Board seeks consultant's advice for bringing broadband to rural location
Tue, 09/04/2018 - 12:00pm

A special Boothbay selectmen’s meeting Tuesday night will explore the region’s options for expanding broadband internet connections. Boothbay will host Axiom Technologies Chief Operating Officer Mark Ouellette at 6 p.m. in the municipal room. His presentation “Moving Broadband Forward on the Boothbay Peninsula” will discuss rural municipalities’ options for broadband and securing state and federal grants.

Greater broadband access is a goal of both Boothbay and Boothbay Harbor selectmen. Both boards identified broadband as a joint goal in recommendations to the Joint Economic Development Committee’s ongoing work toward creating a better regional economic environment. Boothbay invited Boothbay Harbor’s select board and the JEDC to the presentation.

This is Boothbay selectmen’s second special meeting since its last regular meeting Aug. 22. Selectmen held an emergency meeting Aug. 30 to address options regarding a failing municipal internet server. Selectmen voted 3-0 to buy a new server for $22,171.65. Selectmen Kristina Ford, Steve Lewis and Mike Tomacelli attended the emergency session.

The selectmen’s next regularly scheduled meeting is at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 12.