June 18, 2020 – Redzone Wireless, LLC, a Maine-basedbroadband services company, announced the activation of 3 new fixed wireless broadband service sites in Maine – bringing 25 Mbps broadband access to 7,400 new households and 900 previously unserved locations.

New Broadband Service Expansion Areas

 The three new fixed wireless sites provide broadband to the following 6 communities:

1. Rumford (Site Location #1)

2. Livermore Falls (Site Location #2)

3. N. Jay (Site Location #3)

4. Livermore

5. Jay

6. Wilton

With the completion of this fixed wireless network expansion, Redzone’s total Maine broadband coverage now reaches 357,500 households – representing 65% of all Maine homes.

“Redzone continues to solve Maine’s broadband challenges, making broadband more accessible and affordable for all Mainers,”,” said Jim McKenna, Redzone President & CEO. “We’ve further expanded the reach of our True broadband services to more rural Maine homes, and delivered on our commitment to broadband affordability – all while Redzone received the highest Google customer ratings of any Internet provider in Maine.  

Redzone is Addressing Maine’s Broadband Affordability Challenge

While public attention in Maine increasingly focuses on taxpayer funded initiatives to expand Broadband access, a greater impediment to broadband adoption is broadband affordability.  A recent 2019 Pew Research study found that 50% of non-broadband subscribers cited high prices as the primary reason they lack service. Affordability was reported as the barrier to broadband adoption twice as frequently as service availability. 

The research data is clear that Maine families simply can’t afford the monopoly-type broadband that is currently offered by traditional providers. This is clearly illustrated in the Q1 2020 research data published by BroadbandNow that 96% of all Maine households are unable to receive wired broadband service for less than $60/mo.

Recognizing cost as the primary factor limiting broadband access in Maine, Redzone is committed to providing the most affordable True 25 Mbps broadband service to as many Maine families as possible for $40 per month or less, and to do so sustainably without the need for millions of dollars in public subsidies from Maine tax payers. 

Redzone is Delivering the Broadband Performance Maine Families Need

Redzone’s 25 Mbps True Broadband service meets the United States guidelines for business and residential broadband speed as defined by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).

The FCC broadband standard considered multiple users of media streaming, work from home applications, video conferencing and online gaming in developing the US 25 Mbps guideline.

The FCC standard is supported by a Princeton and University of Chicago study published in August 2019 by the Wall Street Journal confirming that speeds above 25 Mbps are unnecessary, and provide negligible benefit for residential broadband. 

Redzone Fixed Wireless Technology is a Rural Broadband Game Changer

Redzone has disrupted the conventional model for delivering broadband access via cable, wire or fiber by extending Maine’s existing fiber optic infrastructure wirelessly. Redzone uses powerful Gigabit “backhaul” radios to connect clusters of towers to individual fiber optic circuits, and delivers broadband services to homes via LTE and 5G technology transmitted on FCC-licensed 2.5 GHz spectrum. 

This innovative approach reduces broadband network capital costs by 90%, and accelerates the delivery timeframe to a few months versus the multiple years commonly required to complete comparable fiber-to-the-home networks.

Closing Maine’s Broadband Gap

According to The ConnectME Authority, Maine’s publicly funded organization dedicated to improving broadband within the state, Maine’s digital divide represents over 80,000 locations around the state that lack access to 25 Mbps broadband service. Within the last 12 months, Redzone estimates that it’s expansion has reduced Maine’s broadband gap by 11%, with new access provided to 8,800 previously underserved locations.

“It is gratifying to connect so many Maine homes and businesses to True Broadband for the first time, while also tackling the critical affordability problem that is impacting Maine families all across the state,” said Michael Forcillo, Executive Vice President of Redzone Wireless. “Broadband connectivity is an essential service for individuals, particularly in rural Maine. Redzone is committed to leveling the playing field so that all Mainers can afford premium broadband.”