In a milestone for rural broadband, Lincoln County announced that fiber internet now serves all of its municipalities, following a countywide build led by Fidium Fiber and celebrated at a local community center earlier this month.
County officials cited by The Lincoln County News say the project connected more than 1,000 households that previously lacked reliable internet, a transformative change for students, healthcare access, and small businesses across the region.
Funding for the effort came from a mix of public and private sources, including a $6 million broadband expansion grant, Consolidated Communications’ multi‑million contribution, and roughly $1.2 million from Lincoln County’s American Rescue Plan Act funds.
Lincoln County is a coastal, rural region along Maine’s Midcoast. Population data from the 2020 census place it at a little over 35,000 residents, underscoring the scale of the rural connectivity challenge that the project addresses.
The countywide fiber milestone aligns with broader statewide efforts to close the digital divide and spur economic development, education, and public services across Maine’s more remote communities.
