chebeague'net

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chebeague.net

• Maines newest town
• withMaines newest technology
• August 21, 2006

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The Concept

• Provide reliable and affordable broadband
  Internet service to Chebeague Island
• A locally owned and operated company
• Supported by experts in the field of last mile
  technology with a proven track record

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Introducing

• Mainely Wired, LLC
• Based in Skowhegan and Swanville
• Have successfully established wireless broadband
  Internet networks in Skowhegan, Pittsfield,
  Newport, Hartland, and Swanville
• Will provide outside support, equipment,
  bandwidth and technical expertise
• www.mainelywired.com

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The Strategic Alliance

• Mainely Wired
• System design
• Technical expertise
• Bandwidth
• Equipment
• Training

• chebeague.net
• Installation
• Service
• Upgrades
• Maintenance
• Pricing

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Who is chebeague.net?

• Founded by Beverly Johnson and David Hill as a
  Maine Subchapter S corporation
• Financed by a group of twelve Chebeague Island
  investors
• Daily operations will be managed by Beverly and
  David
• Major decisions to be made by investor group

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How will it work?

• Last Mile Technology
• T1 line to Chebeague currently at Inn
• Challenge is to distribute signal from there
• Point-to-point signal delivery using receiver
  antennas on households
• Non-Line-of-Sight technology
• 900 MHz by WaveRider (made in Canada)
• Hope to be able to serve every household
• May use thin route technology for hard-to-reach
  groups of households

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Subscriber
Inn
T1 line from mainland
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Deployment Strategy

• Build base station at Chebeague Inn
• Perform first client installations on East End
  and homes reachable from the Inn
• Activate T1 line (Verizon)
• Evaluate alternatives to propagate signal
• Second antenna on Thompsons Hill
• Work around both shores
• Combination of both
• Roll out to rest of the Island

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Timetable

• Base station this week
• System design this week
• First installations end of August
• Verizon activates T1 line September 1st
• Erect additional antennas before winter
• Roll out subscriber installations as signal
  becomes available
• Possible to have entire network in place this
  year!

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How fast will it be?

• Current dial-up speeds (even with 56k modems) are
  between 20 and 45 kbps
• Optimal T1 and DSL speed is 1500 kbps or 1.5 Mbps
• Speeds decline with usage or line distance
• chebeague.net anticipates minimum upload and
  download speeds of 600 to 800 kbps, with average
  speeds closer to 1 megabits per second.

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What equipment do I need?

• PC - Windows 2000 or XP (no 95 or 98)clock speed
  gt 500 MHz
• Apple - iMac or better with OS 9 or better
• Ethernet port or card in computer
• For more than one computer Broadband router
  (can create local wireless network)
• We will help find or supply the necessary
  hardware and to install it

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How much will it cost?

• Installation will be 300, payable either in
  advance or over 24 months
• Monthly service will be 40.00 a month with
  prepaid installation, or 52.50 a month with
  deferred installation payment
• There will be no business/residential
  differential, but business usage must be
  manageable

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Cost (continued)

• Equipment remains property of chebeague.net,
  enabling equipment repairs and upgrades at no
  cost to customer
• Service includes four e-mail addresses (such as
  islander_at_chebeague.net)
• Service may be suspended over the winter at a
  charge of 20.00 a month with prepaid
  installation, or 32.50 a month with deferred
  installation payment

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Long-Range Plans

• Seek State of Maine support through the
  Governors ConnectME Initiative
• Seek Federal support through the USDAs Broadband
  Grant Program
• Consider converting the service to a public
  utility as a division of non-profit organization
  or a department of the Town
• Goal is to reduce the cost to subscribers of
  installation and monthly subscription costs

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Sign Up Now!

• Installations will be first come, first served
• 1st priority to investors
• 2nd priority to customers who pre-pay their
  installation fees
• 3rd priority to all others
• Installations assume availability of signal at
  the residence

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Sign-up Process

• Sign-up sheet available at end of this meeting
• Send e-mail to register_at_chebeague.net

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Please dont wait until Spring!

• We know the temptation for our seasonal residents
  to begin service in 2007
• We need all the help we can get to make this a
  successful venture
• If you sign up now, youll be helping to ensure
  the success of chebeague.net

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One simple request

• Please be patient!
• We cant do this overnight
• There are bound to be technological challenges to
  meet and overcome
• This is not our primary business
• Beverly still has the Island plumbing business
• David will continue to commute to Wiscasset daily
• This is new technology and we all continue to
  learn as we develop new expertise

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QuestionsandComments
www.chebeague.net