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W W W. M A I N E B I Z . B I Z 11 A P R I L 2 0 , 2 0 2 0 Shutdown spotlights need for broadband Mission Broadband, a division of Bangor-based consulting firm ProInfoNet that aims to expand broad- band to underserved communities nationwide, has launched a sur- vey to identify connectivity gaps in Maine. e firm's "Social Distancing Broadband Impact Survey" aims to measure home broadband performance during the ongoing public health crisis in order to measure gaps in avail- ability, inadequate performance and socieconomic indicators. "COVID-19 is bringing the broadband infrastruc- ture issue to the forefront for many residents and municipalities," said John Dougherty, Mission Broadband's vice president and general manager, in a news release. "Having their input will help identify areas needing better broadband solutions." e information gathered will be made available to local communities and state agencies so they can use it in broadband infrastructure planning. Dougherty said that Mission Broadband is working with the city of Bangor and the town of Fort Fairfield, who are currently in the data-gathering stage for their broadband projects. e survey is one part of the effort, along Chilly reception for Bar Harbor cruise ships B y M a i n e b i z S t a f f Bar Harbor — Mount Desert Island's already mixed recep- tion of cruise ships took another turn with the COVID-19 crisis. Bar Harbor Town Council, which had already canceled visits through May, extended cancellations through June. Council members said they received many emails from residents, the majority supporting an extension of the ban. "Most were for banning the whole season," Councilor Jill Goldthwait said. "I'm not sure this is the right time to do that. But I do think it's the right time to say not in May and June." She added, "Our community is extremely concerned and anxious about this. I don't think anxiety should be the sole reason for banning cruise ships, but it's a factor." Whereas the debate in past years had revolved around how many ship passengers Bar Harbor's small-but-scenic streets could sustain, the recent debate has centered around the health of the passengers coming off big cruise ships. Cruise lines have gained a certain notoriety in recent weeks because of the ill-fated cruise ships that have, in effect, become floating quarantine areas. Councilor Gary Friedmann said, "There's certainly a great deal of concern about cruise ships and also about the com- ing tourist season." In addition to cruise ships, the council should look at all sources of visitation, Friedmann suggested. "We can't just look at cruise ships and point to them as the vector for spreading COVID-19," he said. "Even though they're floating Petri dishes and there's the potential for large numbers of carriers from those ships, they still comprise only 5% of the number of visitors that arrive annually in Bar Harbor. "How can we ban cruise ships without looking at the millions of visitors who arrive from around the world, by pri- vate vehicles, by buses, by airplanes, by every other mode of transportation?" Friedmann wants the town to connect with the state, the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention, the Maine Office of Tourism and local businesses to develop a plan that will provide for the safety of residents and visitors as well as a plan to address the downturn in tourism that will "pummel the local economy." "A lot of people are on the same page as the folks you've heard from," Alf Anderson, executive director of the Bar Harbor Chamber of Commerce, told the council. Anderson said his board of directors has been meeting to develop a plan for how to open up the town and invite visitors back when the crisis has passed. P O L I T I C S & C O. named a new CEO and a new COO to replace President and CEO Clif Greim, who is retiring June 1. Mark Lee, who joined Harriman in 1996, will serve as CEO, and Jim Fortin, who has been with the firm for nearly 15 years, will become COO. Court puts brakes on right whale regs — for now A federal judge has ruled that federal fishery managers haven't fully ana- lyzed the impact of lobster fishing on endangered North Atlantic right whales. In a decision issued April 9, U.S. District Court Judge James Boasberg in Washington, D.C., ruled against the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in a lawsuit brought by a group of environmental organizations. e decision finds that NOAA violated the Endangered Species Act when it authorized the lobster fishery without appropriately analyzing its impact on right whales. In his deci- sion, Boasberg wrote that the fishery service's failure to include an inciden- tal take statement after finding that the fishery had the potential to harm right whales at three times sustainable levels was "about as straightforward a violation of the ESA as they come." e Boston-based Conservation Law Foundation said the ruling "provides an incentive for fishermen and scien- tists to forge a new path that protects right whales while also sustaining the lobster industry." N O T E W O R T H Y M I D C O A S T & D O W N E A S T Coastal Mountains Land Trust in Rockport established the Rockport Shore Preserve, a 9-acre preserve protecting 600 feet of shorefront on the eastern side of the harbor and a section of Beauchamp Point Road. Maine Community Foundation in Ellsworth awarded $4 million to sup- port nonprofit organizations across the state in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. The foundation also said it awarded grants totaling $27,000 to 15 Maine nonprofit organizations and municipalities through its Lifelong Communities Mini-Grant Program. Bar Harbor Bar Harbor extended extended the current cruise ship the current cruise ship ban to July 1. ban to July 1. F I L E P H O T O / L A U R I E S C H R E I B E R Our community is extremely concerned and anxious about this. — Jill Goldthwait Bar Harbor Town Council M I D C O A S T & D O W N E A S T N O R T H E R N & E A S T E R N

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