Maine Senate candidate running on high-speed platform

The need for universal high speed Internet has been getting serious national attention this election season. In addition to being a plank in this year's Democratic platform, the issue has caught the eye of candidates like Tom Allen, who is running for the U.S. Senate in Maine.

At a recent event in a bookstore in Bucksport, Maine, Allen said high speed Internet access is essential for boosting Maine's economy, particularly in rural parts of the state. This technology opens up all kinds of opportunities for small businesses, allowing them to overcome geographical barriers. For example

Waterworld Seafood, a processing company in Bucksport's industrial park, uses its broadband access to receive orders from its clients, which includes the Bellagio hotel and casino in Las Vegas, he said.

To help bring these benefits to all Maine communities, Allen -- who currently serves in the U.S. House of Representatives -- has introduced a bill to expand high speed Internet throughout his state:

The six-term congressman cited the Rural American Communication Expansion for the Future Act, a bill he introduced, as a way to make broadband access more affordable. The bill would use tax incentives, loans and grants to help make the technology more available in rural areas, he said.

Efforts like those of Tom Allen come about not just because they realize on their own the importance of high speed Internet, but because their constituents are making it clear that they want to reap the benefits of this technology. As our Speed Matters poll found last year, more than three-quarters of Americans support efforts to build out better and faster high speed Internet connections across the entire country.

With candidates like Tom Allen taking notice, the future of high speed Internet in the U.S. looks a little more promising.

CWA adds voice to Democratic Platform (Speed Matters)

Allen talks broadband, energy, health care (Bangor Daily News)

Speed Matters Poll