Batey's TV & Appliance on Main Street in Fairfield is pictured Thursday. Owner Gary Batey said high-speed internet recently installed in Fairfield would be beneficial to his business. "Time is money, so if it takes you 15 minutes to fight your way through the crap to get to the website you want to go to, then obviously that'll add up after a while," he said. Hannah Kaufman / Morning Sentinel
FAIRFIELD -- Fidium Fiber completed its expansion here last week, giving residents and business owners access to high-speed, fiber-optic internet service.
Fidium Fiber, a brand offered by Consolidated Communications Holdings, Inc., announced the extension of service for Fairfield and Oakland in July. This is the most recent step in their expansion across the region and state, looking to drive economic growth in new communities, said Kyle Thweatt, senior communications specialist.
"We're always looking for opportunities to expand and grow," Thweatt said. "And whether that's a rural community that maybe hasn't had access to the quality internet that they need, or somebody in a city that has only had one option before and has never been able to have an experience with fiber."
The completion of the Oakland expansion, which also included parts of Sidney and Belgrade, was announced in November.
Fidium's "multi-gig" offerings have expanded in the last three years, bringing fiber access to over 249,000 homes and businesses in Maine. Some of those expansions were private investments, while others were made possible through grants partially funded by federal dollars.
A feasibility study released by Somerset County Economic Development Corp. in 2022 estimates a cost of about $80 million to cover the county with fiber-optic infrastructure.
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Fidium's project in Fairfield was privately funded.
The town holds a franchise agreement with Spectrum to provide internet and cable service, and some community members have used Redzone Wireless for coverage. But there are parts of Fairfield without any high-speed internet service, said Michelle Flewelling, town manager.
"I do know that there are places in the town of Fairfield that Spectrum did not go to, so there was no coverage, like out on the Martin Stream route," Flewelling said.
Rural counties with high fiber adoption rates see 213% higher business growth and 44% higher GDP growth, according to a 2024 study by the Center for Rural Innovation.
Fiber differs from other types of internet access like cable or satellite because it uses symmetrical speeds, meaning that upload speeds and download speeds are equal, Thweatt said.
"Whether it's streaming entertainment or working from home or having a medical appointment by Zoom or tele-education, it allows for an increased speed because you're uploading and downloading things to that computer," Thweatt said. "So it allows for seamless speed and transitions and all these different things that just make the internet experience a lot more user-friendly than what people are typically used to."
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A worker installs fiber-optic lines for Fidium Fiber in June near the First Congregational Church at 132 Somerset Ave. in Pittsfield. The company recently expanded into Fairfield. Rich Abrahamson/Morning Sentinel file
Some of the problems with Fairfield's internet access became more apparent during the pandemic, Flewelling said.
"It is surprising to me when you think about the fact that people who are not but 7 miles from downtown Waterville didn't have access to the internet," Flewelling said. "And quite frankly, if you think about it, the pandemic and COVID really stressed the amount that people realized this, especially when you had students who needed to be online at home and their homes didn't have access to the internet."
Gary Batey, owner of Batey's TV & Appliance in Fairfield, has used cable internet service for his business for the last 10-15 years. He said that the three computers at his shop tend to slow down when it gets busy.
"Grant you, being on the optic fiber will give you a much faster (connection) than what I'm on, especially," Batey said. "Time is money, so if it takes you 15 minutes to fight your way through the crap to get to the website you want to go to, then obviously that'll add up after a while. That's where the speed would be nice."
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Flewelling said that any expansion of high-speed internet service in a town tends to bring more competition and lower costs.
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"I think anytime that you can provide options to businesses, as well as residents, when it comes to utilities and utility needs, it has a tendency to level the playing field when it comes to costs," Flewelling said. "Those utilities become more competitive when they're not a monopoly in a particular situation."
Fidium representatives plan to visit Fairfield soon to take part in local events and share information about service offerings.
Batey said that switching to fiber is a possibility, depending on the expense and the speed.
"I haven't sat down to do the pricing," Batey said. "At some point I'll have to make a move, because the slower speed is affecting things as far as getting stuff done."
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