Maine

From State of Maine Digital Equity Plan (the first state plan approved by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration) February 2024

The future of Maine is highly connected. Though we live in a place where the opportunity to unplug is everywhere you turn, our priority is to ensure that the digital world is accessible to all of us.

We envision a Maine where all of us, especially those traditionally underserved and facing more barriers to being connected, can take full advantage of the economic, educational, health, civic, social and other benefits that reliable, affordable, high-speed broadband can provide. By connecting everyone and ensuring that Mainers have the support and resources to realize the benefits of that connectivity fully, we can ensure there is a place for everyone to thrive in our economy and communities.

Every person in Maine, regardless of background, resources, circumstances, identity, or community, will have equitable access to the digital world, including:

1. Affordable, reliable internet connectivity at home;
2. An affordable device that meets their needs;
3. The opportunity to develop digital skills and access technical support;
4. Tools and information to protect themselves and their families online; and
5. Online state resources that are inclusive and accessible for all.

Ensuring this access will empower Maine people and communities to connect beyond and within our borders, creating pathways of opportunity to realize the full economic, educational, health, social, civic, and cultural benefits of being connected. Focusing on our goals of securing access and ensuring affordability and adoption for all will reinforce our core message: There is a place in Maine’s economy and our communities for everyone to thrive.

Maine will embrace the following values to accomplish these goals:

• Adopt a data-driven, transparent approach: Apply a digital equity lens to infrastructure projects and other programs to prioritize investment where it makes the biggest impact via the Broadband Mapping Platform. Continue to collect and share data with our partners to adjust our goals and approach.
• Grow and strengthen the ecosystem: Nurture relationships, shared learning, and collaboration;
• increase capacity, and provide the tools and structures partners need to help people get connected. Serve the people we most need to reach through a place and people-based approach.
• Leverage networks of opportunity: Prioritize digital equity investments and partnerships that capitalize on existing relationships with or are led by individuals and communities that face more barriers to access and adoption.
• Get creative: Support and learn from various approaches from place to place and population to population, recognizing that no one has the answers and that every place and community is different.
• Shout it from the rooftops: Tell a broad range of stories in a variety of mediums to illustrate the real impact of the digital divide on people and communities, what the work of digital inclusion looks like, and the positive impact of achieving digital equity through access and adoption.

From DRAFT Digital Equity Plan (see Summary)

The future of Maine is highly connected. Though we live in a place where the opportunity to unplug is everywhere you turn, our priority is to ensure that the digital world is accessible to all of us.

We envision a Maine where all of us, especially those traditionally underserved and facing more barriers to being connected, can take full advantage of the economic, educational, health, civic, social and other benefits that reliable, affordable, high-speed broadband can provide. By connecting everyone and ensuring that Mainers have the support and resources to realize the benefits of that connectivity fully, we can ensure there is a place for everyone to thrive in our economy and communities.

Every person in Maine, regardless of background, resources, circumstances, identity, or community, will have equitable access to the digital world, including:
1. Affordable, reliable internet connectivity at home;
2. An affordable device that meets their needs;
3. The opportunity to develop digital skills and access technical support;
4. Tools and information to protect themselves and their families online;
5. And online state resources that are inclusive and accessible for all.

Ensuring this access will empower Maine people and communities to connect beyond and within our borders, creating pathways of opportunity to realize the full economic, educational, health, social, civic, and cultural benefits of being connected. Focusing on our goals of securing access and ensuring affordability and adoption for all will reinforce our core message: there is a place in Maine’s economy and our communities for everyone to thrive.

Maine will embrace the following values to accomplish these goals:

• Adopt a data-driven, transparent approach: Apply a digital equity lens to infrastructure projects and other programs to prioritize investment where it makes the biggest impact via the Broadband Mapping Platform. Continue to collect and share data with our partners to adjust our goals and approach.
• Grow and strengthen the ecosystem: Nurture relationships, shared learning, and collaboration; increase capacity, and provide the tools and structures partners need to help people get connected. Serve the people we most need to reach through a place and people-based approach.
• Leverage networks of opportunity: Prioritize digital equity investments and partnerships that capitalize on existing relationships with or are led by individuals and communities that face more barriers to access and adoption.
• Get creative: Support and learn from various approaches from place to place and population to population, recognizing that no one has the answers and that every place and community is different.
• Shout it from the rooftops: Tell a broad range of stories in a variety of mediums to illustrate the real impact of the digital divide on people and communities, what the work of digital inclusion looks like, and the positive impact of achieving digital equity through access and adoption.