Maine's Starlink Program Open for Applications

WASHINGTON, Dec. 11, 2024 – Maine’s effort to get Starlink terminals to its completely unserved homes and businesses opened for applications Wednesday.

The state’s Working Internet ASAP program makes the satellite ISP’s equipment free for Maine’s 9,000 locations without any internet access. The Maine broadband office is covering the equipment and providing installation support, plus paying for extra capacity to ensure reliable connections. Customers will have to pay the monthly subscription, which Starlink advertises at $120 per month.

“Ensuring that our most rural and remote community members have an option to internet access is essential,” Maine Connectivity Authority President Andrew Butcher said in a statement. “We are closing a very important gap in internet coverage with this program and will continue to improve broadband affordability, reliability and access to all parts of Maine now and into the future.”

To apply, residents can use the state’s online portal or enroll over the phone. Since the effort is targeted at residents without broadband access, MCA said it is using “a marketing campaign, targeted advertising, direct mail,” and coordinating with other state agencies to get the word out. Enrollment will remain open on a rolling basis, according to the state.

Under current rules of the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment program, a separate federal effort to expand broadband infrastructure, any locations that take Maine up on its offer would still be eligible to be served by subsidized terrestrial networks. Maine’s broadband office has said its $350 million BEAD allocation would likely be enough to get fiber to all its eligible locations, about 28,800 according to state data.