BROOKLIN — Will broadband communications ever be a part of life in Brooklin? At least one group of residents believes it will and hopes the day comes soon. The issue was raised recently at a meeting of Brooklin Friends and Neighbors.

Under an agreement reached by the two companies, FairPoint would buy Verizon’s phone lines in Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont. The $2.7 billion deal requires regulatory approval in all three states.

Sealander, Lesko and others in Brooklin are pushing for approval in Maine while hoping that FairPoint keeps its promises to bring broadband to rural Maine.

“They have broadband in Botswana,” Sealander said. “Not in Brooklin. For any legitimate business in the world not to be connected to broadband is a liability.”

Broadband is a relative term, referring to a signaling method that includes a variety of frequencies. The wider the bandwidth, the more information can be carried.

In Brooklin and many other rural towns in Hancock County, Internet users are forced to rely on dialup connections, which transmit some 56,000 bits per second.

Sealander compared the telecommunications system to pipes that carry water: the fatter the pipe, the more water you can fit through it.

Continuing the analogy, broader pipes are needed to supply broader bandwidths. That requires an investment infrastructure, one that Verizon has not made in order to offer digital subscriber lines, or DSL, to many rural areas in northern New England.

With DSL, information comes to Internet users at much faster speeds, as much as 14 times faster for Verizon customers with the company’s standard DSL connection.

 In announcing its purchase of Verizon lines last month, FairPoint promised to extend high-speed Internet access currently available in more populated areas to the sparsely populated areas of northern New England.

“FairPoint plans to significantly increase broadband availability in the region within the first 12 months after the merger is completed,” according to a statement released by both companies on Jan. 16.

The merger would increase FairPoint’s debt by $1.7 billion. The company also promises to keep Verizon’s employees and to make the intense investments in infrastructure needed to extend high-speed Internet into rural New England.

Can they do it?

Sealander and Lesko said they are not convinced FairPoint can pull it off, but they are convinced Verizon is not going to do it.

The Maine PUC this month opened an investigation into the proposed merger. The investigation is expected to last six months and will evaluate FairPoint’s capability to fulfill its promise for extended broadband, among other issues.

“FairPoint has a better track record for rolling out broadband access,” said Steve Ward, a lawyer with the Maine Public Advocate.

He said that currently, FairPoint provides broadband access to more than 90 percent of its customers, compared to Verizon, which provides the service to 60 percent of its customers in Maine.

“FairPoint is making that statement,” Ward said of the company’s vow to roll out high-speed Internet in rural Maine. “It will be examined whether they are capable of meeting that commitment. It takes money. Do they have the financial capability to do this?”

There is opposition to the merger, mostly from Verizon workers, Ward said.

He said representatives from FairPoint have informally said the company would leave existing rates in place and maintain the current workforce, as well as adding 600 new jobs in northern New England.

“It remains unclear whether they can fulfill that,” Ward said. “There is a very strong current of opposition from current Verizon employees. They are nervous about what happens.

“They say it’s the last thing Maine should do because Verizon is the only company able to invest in fiber optics. But there is no evidence they have an interest in doing that.”

Sealander and Lesko are well acquainted with Verizon’s lack of interest.

“Verizon stopped rolling out broadband in rural Maine,” said Sealander. “It’s not in their game plan.”

A growing number of Brooklin residents are joining the call for regulatory approval of the deal, but only if FairPoint can demonstrate capability to keep its promises.

“We say this deal can’t happen without a definite benefit to consumers — a greater penetration of broadband to consumers in Maine,” Sealander said.

Lesko said increasing broadband access would benefit society at large, not only those who rely on fast-paced Internet connections for business.

The group in Brooklin is circulating a survey to determine how many non-business households have computers.

“Corporations are limiting people’s choice of lifestyles,” Lesko said. “It’s a limit that can easily be overcome.”

The group would like to hear from individuals and businesses throughout the area who are interested in increased access to high-speed communications.

They also urge the local selectmen to advocate for bringing DSL service to Brooklin.

For information or to contribute data, call Sealander at 359-2795 or send e-mail to This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .