Measure on the ballot in the 2020 Maine Primary Election in Maine.
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Get StartedThe proceeds of the sale of the bonds authorized under this part must be expended as designated in the following schedule: CONNECTME AUTHORITY: Provides funds to the ConnectME Authority, as established in the Maine Revised Statutes, Title 5, section 12004-G, subsection 33-F, for investments in high-speed internet infrastructure in unserved and underserved areas. Total: $15,000,000.
A "YES" vote on Question 1 would be a vote in favor of authorizing $15 million in general obligation bonds. These bonds would be used by the ConnectME Authority to invest in high-speed internet infrastructure for unserved (broadband service is not offered) and underserved (less than 20 percent of households have access to broadband service) areas.
A "NO" vote on Question 1 would be a vote opposing the authorization of $15 million in general obligation bonds. These bonds would be used by the ConnectME Authority to invest in high-speed internet infrastructure for unserved (broadband service is not offered) and underserved (less than 20 percent of households have access to broadband service) areas.
A lack of broadband access is not just an inconvenience, when there is a highly contagious disease moving through a community, it is an actual threat to public health....The ConnectMe Authority, a state agency that promotes the expansion of broadband, estimates that it would cost between $150 million and $450 million in public and private investment to serve every part of the state. Not all of that has to come from taxpayers. State funds, like the money that would be raised by the bond issue, would draw federal matching funds would be used to attract private partners. Maine can multiply its investment, but we can’t just wait for the private sector to figure this out., in support of Question 1: Bond Issue (Learn more)
“Broadband is now a necessary asset to attract and retain businesses and residents in Maine. Most rural communities do not have access to viable high-speed connectivity,” the plan noted, and this “limits their ability to develop a strong workforce, incubate innovation, create an environment to attract new residents and businesses, and support seniors and others to stay in their homes.”, in support of Question 1: Bond Issue (Learn more)
For the approximately 85,000 households across Maine that lack the ability to connect to high-speed internet, simply completing the tasks of daily life has become difficult. Children are spending their nights in parking lots of libraries in order to do schoolwork that requires an internet connection. Business owners without the means to sell their wares online are losing customers. Those without access to reliable high-speed internet cannot connect with their doctors and are becoming increasingly socially isolated...You can help the local business owner, the doctor, and the student by voting “yes” on Question 1, a bond issue providing $15,000,000 to fund high-speed internet expansion to underserved and unserved areas. It is imperative that Mainers have access to high-speed internet in order to function in today’s world., in support of Question 1: Bond Issue (Learn more)
Do you favor a $15,000,000 bond issue to invest in high-speed internet infrastructure for unserved and underserved areas, to be used to match up to $30,000,000 in federal, private, local or other funds?
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