A new broadband Internet service will soon be offered in Eastport and parts of Perry and Sipayik as Fidium Fiber, a brand of Consolidated Communications, works to connect 1,900 homes to its fiber based Internet service. Line crews have been in the area over the past few weeks in preparation of the expansion, with infrastructure construction set to begin on Saturday, June 15, and poised to be completed within a few months after that.
      "We are expanding Fidium Fiber to these communities as a part of our effort to expand our fiber network across the state," comments Kyle Thweatt, senior communications specialist with Fidium. Several communities in other parts of Washington County -- specifically Princeton, Big Lake Township, Grand Lake Stream Plantation, Indian Township Reservation, Kossuth Township, Lambert Lake, Talmadge, Topsfield, Vanceboro and Waite -- saw Fidium's expansion earlier this year.
      "We are excited to be bringing Fidium to these communities, offering local residents all the benefits that come with access to a high speed fiber internet connection," Thweatt says. "Fiber Internet is a future proof technology that offers unparalleled speed, quality and reliability."
      No municipal agreements have been entered by the utility for the process of the expansion, Thweatt says, adding that no state funds have been involved. Instead, the expansion effort has been funded solely by Fidium, which was launched by Consolidated Communications in 2021 as a "customer centered, consumer fiber broadband service offering symmetrical multi gig speeds and exceptional service," Thweatt says.
      Fidium plans are tiered based on how much speed the customer is looking for, beginning at an introductory price of $25 per month for 100 Mbps and increasing up to $85 per month for 2 Gigs or 2,000 Mbps. After the first year of service, the price will increase based on the tier in question, with the first tier increasing to $45 a month and the highest tier increasing to $100. No contract is required for any tier. "Prices are set across the state, so customers will pay the same across the state no matter their location," Thweatt adds.
      Customers will need to pay an additional fee of $10 a month to add a WiFi6 Gateway router to the 100 Mbps and 300 Mbps plans, Thweatt says, unless they own their own router. A free WiFi6 Gateway router is provided to customers on the 1 Gig and 2 Gig plans.
      The monthly prices quoted above also only refer to customers who are enrolled in paperless autopay billing. Customers who aren't enrolled in paperless billing will pay $2.50 more per month, as will customers who aren't enrolled in autopay.
      Along with broadband service, Fidium offers voice over internal protocol (VoIP) phone service plans with unlimited local and long distance calling for $25 a month for fiber customers.
      Since it started its expansion process in Maine, Fidium has grown to reach more than 260,000 households, Thweatt says, and more homes are being added on a regular basis. To find out more about Fidium's ongoing expansion, visit www.fidiumfiber.com/fiber locations.