July 2023
Finish Line
Alexander residents - We have crossed the finished line! Sign up by visiting https://pioneerbroadband.net/ or call (866) 335 1254.
Alexander
March 2023
3rd Gear
The Alexander Broadband Project has shifted into 3rd gear these past weeks. Crews have been working steadily here stringing support cable and will be attaching fiber thereafter. The Davis Rd right of way has been signed and the brush cleared with EMEC installing the poles as soon as possible. This is the fiber that will serve the West side of Pleasant Lake. Pioneer Broadband is continuing to do site visits and starting cable drops to those areas of town that are all ready.
As of March 16th there are 20 residences hooked up to fiber with more on the way. To get on the list please call Pioneer Broadband at 207.532.1254 for service. This is exciting as we are nearing the end of this project.
May 2022
Getting Close
The fiber terminations are in Alexander and the racks installed in the Colocation Building with all work in the building to be completed soon. Over the next few weeks a sizable portion of Alexander's network will be completed. Then crews will be finishing up the remaining portions of town.
April 2022
Final Pole
The FINAL pole application has been approved. This application includes Chase Brook Road, Meddybemps Shore Rd, Airline Rd from the Baileyville town line to pole # 110 (near AES), Berry Rd, Spearin Rd, Flat Rd and McArthur Rd. So now all 4 pole applications are approved, hip hip hooray and construction can go ahead in all parts of town for Pioneer to work on easily. Within the next few months all the work will be done and households will be able to sign up for high speed fiber internet and more. It is wonderful to see the light at the end of the tunnel after working on this project for almost 3 years. Thank you everyone for your patience and to Pioneer Broadband (Tim McAfee), EMEC and CCI for your work on bringing the Alexander Broadband Project to this point.
March 2022
Third Application
The third application has been approved! This means that the work on the Cooper Road can begin so the support strand has to be pulled, fiber attached and pulled into the Colocation Building to be set up and tested. This will take a few weeks. By then the 4th application should be approved so the project can be completed and hook ups will commence by the end of June if not sooner in some parts of town. This is great news for Alexander. The end is in sight.
February 2022
Full Steam Ahead
The Alexander Broadband Project continues to move towards completion so that residents will be starting to hook into the fiber by the end of June, 2022 if all goes well.
The 2nd application has been approved so it’s 2 down and 2 to go. One of the last 2 needs EMEC to set 1 pole and the other needs Consolidated to set 2 poles. These final pole sets are set to be completed the week of March 21st with final approval granted soon thereafter. Then it will be full steam ahead with Pioneer Broadband hanging the fiber and setting everything up. In the meantime Pioneer will continue to work on the approved applications and complete all the work on the Colocation Building. EMEC will also continue working on clearing brush under the power lines in parts of town. Just driving around town one can see all the new poles that have been set and the brush work completed so far thanks to EMEC”s great work. It looks wonderful.
So the end is now in sight (finally) and by this Summer Alexander will be one of the few rural towns in the area and state with high speed fiber internet available. Pretty cool. Thank you to all our residents for your patience and understanding on the length of this project.
January 2022
Patiently Waiting
We are still waiting for approval of the final 3 pole applications which we were informed were going to be done this month so we will see. Eastern Maine Electric Coop has completed the work to provide electricity to the Colocation Building which allows Pioneer Broadband to begin to set up the racks, terminals, heat, etc to have it ready once the applications are approved and fiber is strung. While progress is slower than hoped for due to Covid related issues the Alexander Broadband Project is moving forward towards completion.
December 2021
Strand
Pioneer Broadband’s construction crew has been busy putting up strand in the areas that we have pole licenses. Most of you have probably seen their crew in your travels, on part of Rt 9 from the South Princeton rd toward the school. They have also placed strand on the South Princeton rd, the Pokey rd and Pine Tree Shore rd.
Riverside Electric has been working on getting power to the CO-Locate building behind the town office. I am also encouraged because Eastern Maine Electric and Consolidated Communications have been working steadily on the make ready work in the areas that we are waiting on licenses. All in all I believe things are beginning to progress nicely. It won’t be long before we start seeing some fiber being placed in our quiet little town. This is getting exciting.
December 2021
First Pole
Alexander’s first pole application was approved from Consolidated Communications – For 196 poles! This covers Oak Lane, Tommy Long Rd, Pine Tree Shores, Fish House Lane, Pokey Rd, South Princeton Rd and Route 9 from the South Princeton Rd towards AES to pole 111. This now needs to be approved by EMEC also which is currently doing pole work in Alexander. Another one of the benefits of installing broadband is that all 773 poles in town have been surveyed, evaluated and will be updated if needed which improves and strengthens our entire electrical and communication infrastructure. There are 3 more applications to be approved. This Is a HUGE step forward in bringing high speed to Alexander.
September 2021
Colocation Arrives
Now that the Colocation Building has arrived work can proceed to get the “nerve center” ready. It will now be electrified and the hardware installed for operation of the system. Consolidated Communications has begun work on their pole make ready part of the project. ‘ The tentative completion date of this segment and the final approval of the 4 applications remains January 2022. Again once the 1st application is approved the laying of fiber will begin.
This Fall there are approximately 5 miles of tree trimming that need to be completed . This is a project that needs to be done anyways and the incumbent pole owners will be working with local arborists.
It is exciting to see this project that was only a thought 2 years ago, approved just a year ago taking shape today.
August 2021
Grant
The Alexander Broadband Project continues to move towards completion. The Colocation Building has arrived in Hermon, Maine from Ohio and delivered to town at a future date. Once it arrives it will be set up and made ready to serve as Alexander’s broadband nerve center by Pioneer Broadband.
The major impediment to a more timely and faster commencement of work is the approval of the 4 pole applications that were completed in April. These applications have been paid for, but will not be completed until January 2022. The incumbent pole owners are experiencing staffing and other work related issues so they are having difficulties in completing our applications in a more timely fashion.
Pioneer Broadband has always had all the materials necessary to complete the project and as soon as the first of the 4 applications are approved stringing fiber and hooking up customers will begin. We are fortunate that Pioneer has all the materials in stock as there is now up to an 80 week wait in some cases for these very same materials at a much higher cost.
The town is about to receive the first 25% of the $147,000 grant we received from Connect ME.
We are fortunate to be in the position we are in as we are ahead of the rest of the state and country right now with a final price, at an excellent cost with materials and funding in place and a reasonable timeline for completion. Further updates will be issued as needed.
May 2021
Site Preparation
The Alexander Broadband Project continues to move towards completion. Site preparation for the Colocation Building will begin soon. Once the site preparation is complete the building will be delivered, set up and made ready for the installation of broadband fiber in town. Fiber installation on the poles will commence once the first of the 4 pole applications is approved by Consolidated Communications hopefully by early August.
April 2021
Moving Forward
The Alexander Broadband Project Continues to move towards completion. The pole survey will be finished April 14th as only the Pokey Road and a small section of the South Princeton Road remain to be surveyed. So then all four sections will be completed. The Consolidated surveyor believes he will have two of the four make ready estimates available for billing at this time. Once payment is made Consolidated Communications and Eastern Maine Electric Co-Op need to approve the applications within 90 days. So by the end of July construction could begin for those two sections. The remaining two sections will soon follow. The colocation building, the central hub, is on hold for the town. Once the site, behind the town office, is prepared it will be delivered and installed later this spring. The town, with selectman JR Gibson taking the lead, is working on a grant from Connect Maine. Connect Maine has expressed strong support for cooperative efforts such as ours with the Downeast Broadband Utility (DBU). The application is due April 29th. Any further financial support on top of the $10,000.00 received from the Maine Community Foundation will be wonderful. This is truly an exciting project for Alexander’s future as we continue to build our ramp to the information highway. Further updates will be provided when warranted.
March 2021
VP ELECTED
JR Gibson confirmed as VP for Downeast Broadband Utility Board.
3 out of the four first pole surveys have been completed.
We anticipate the first customers for Alexander to be hooked up at the end of 2021.
February 2021
Pole Applications
First of four pole surveys have been completed with CCI and EMEC. The Central Office location has been determined.
Going forward all Alexander updates will be posted monthly.
October 2020
Welcome to The Board
Alexander selectman JR Gibson and alternate Ted Carter are added to the DBU Board.
It started with an idea and now it’s becoming reality!
“The Town of Alexander will soon be the first to join Calais and Baileyville as part of Downeast Broadband Utility (DBU), a utility organization formed by the Town of Baileyville and the City of Calais.”
Alexander Votes Overwhelmingly to Join Downeast Broadband Utility | The Calais Advertiser