Broadband / Internet
NEWS
Updated June 21, 2023
Progress, although slower than anticipated, continues to be made on the pre-construction process for building the town’s fiber-to-the-home high speed internet network, and if the utilities complete their required “make ready” work on the utility poles by the end of this year, then construction of Somerville’s fiber network should begin early in 2024 and be completed by spring or early summer of next year.
How do I sign up and when should I do so?
To sign up for internet service, you need to contact our internet service provider, Axiom Technologies, directly to indicate your interest. Once you do, they will bill you for a deposit equal to one month’s service of your choice of speeds. Your paid deposit will be credited back to you in full on your first bill.
To sign up, you need to call Axiom at (207) 271-2801 to request service, or you can use its online form on the website http://www.connectwithaxiom.com/email-phone and they will call you back.
If you sign up with Axiom by the time construction begins sometime in early 2024, the cost of the service drop (that is, the fiber line from the road into your house plus the network interface device) will be free to you because we included this cost in our successful federal grant application. However, if you wait until after construction is completed, you will have to pay for the cost of the service drop yourself, which can be
$500 or more. So, please, sign up as soon as possible! If you’re not sure yet if you want internet service, the Somerville broadband board strongly suggests you sign up in advance anyway, because the deposit is refundable if later you decide you don’t want to take internet service from the town’s new fiber system.
What service I can sign up for and at what price?
For year-round residents, the choices of speed tiers are:
● $59.99/month for 100/100 Mbps
● $64.99/month for 250/250 Mbps
● $109.99/month for 500/500 Mbps
● $129.99/month for 1G/1G
There is currently a federal subsidy program called the Affordable Connectivity Program that will provide
$30/month to eligible households who have income less than 200% of the poverty level, so that the monthly cost of fast internet is more affordable. To qualify for the subsidy, a resident will need to apply through the federal website https://www.affordableconnectivity.gov/. Residents who sign up for ACP will not have to put a deposit down with Axiom to get service, as long as they provide their ACP application identification number to Axiom when they call Axiom or use its website to sign up in advance for service.
For seasonal residents, the options are:
● $611.99/year for 100/100 Mbps
● $662.99/year for 250/250 Mbps
● $1121.99/year for 500/500 Mbps
● $1325.99/year for 1G/1G
We will provide additional updates and FAQs on the Somerville town website as the process continues. Please reach out to any member of the Somerville Municipal Broadband Board if you have questions about signing up for service or anything else related to the new system. Leave a message at town office to call you back or email us at smbb1@SomervilleMaine.org
Members of the Somerville Municipal Broadband Board:
Sharon Reishus, Jim R. Grenier, Jim Scheid, Doug Shartzer, Bobbie Creamer
