Mainebiz

V O L . X X I I N O. X X I I I O C T O B E R 3 , 2 0 1 6 30 J ames McKenna moved to Maine for the same reasons a lot of people do: to enjoy an outdoor life that wasn't possible in the big city. "I needed to come home to lakes, mountains and the ocean," he says. When questioned about how he'd make a living here, "I said 'I'll just fi gure it out,'" he recalls. "Now my life's work has been helping others fi gure it out by providing them with broadband." As president of Redzone Wireless LLC, McKenna's role — in his mind — is to make it easier to make a living in Maine, by making reliable wire- less internet service available whether you're in the middle of Portland, or on the island of Matinicus. Broadband that allows residents to telecommute and run a business is critical to Maine's future, he says. It makes Maine more appealing to tour- ists, young professionals and compa- nies looking to relocate. And it could amplify the impact of out-of-state spending. For instance, if well-heeled summer residents can work remotely, they might stay longer and spend more on art, real estate and restau- rants while they're here. "Broadband and the economy are inextricably linked," says McKenna. "Maine is consistently ranked 48th or 49th in the nation in terms of broadband speeds and availability, and similarly ranked in terms of states in which to do business. By improving broadband we attract new businesses, which in turn will attract investment and create jobs, making Maine as great a place to work and to do busi- ness as it is to live. is is a problem we need to fi x." McKenna has been working on that fi x since founding Redzone in 2006. In 2015, Redzone launched its 4G LTE network, backed by private investors and a $4 million loan insured by the Finance Authority of Maine. Redzone now covers 28% of Maine's households and aims to be accessible to 90% of households by 2018. In the past year, Redzone has sped towards that goal. It extended into Bath, Brunswick, Ellsworth, Portland, South Portland, Cape Elizabeth, Falmouth, Auburn, Lewiston, Westbrook, Augusta, Camden, Rockland, Ellsworth, Waterville, Sanford and Bangor. "Many of the homes are a captive audience to incumbent providers," he says. " ere's a monopoly and we're too far down the track as a technology- based society to tolerate that. Mainers need alternatives and ubiquitous access to something that's fast and reliable." Redzone also activated a high- speed municipal free Wi-Fi network in downtown Camden, which gives visitors up to two hours per day of free internet access, plus pay-as-you- go options. Now, an average of 400 to 500 people use the network each day. For businesses, Redzone launched an ultra high-speed service of up to 200 megabits per second — enough capacity to perform bandwidth-heavy functions like cloud computing and digital media production. e ser- vice is now in Camden, Rockland, Portland, Lewiston, Auburn and Bangor, and Redzone plans to add 10 more communities by the end of 2016. Redzone also acquired the wireless network assets of GWI, which added hundreds of customers in coastal and island communities on the midcoast and in Penobscot Bay. For communities trying to stoke development, improved Internet ser- vice has been critical. "It's helping our existing local businesses grow," says Matt Leonard, president and CEO of the Lewiston Auburn Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce. "It's supporting the posi- tive and vibrant business environment that attracts new employers, so essen- tial to our long term economic and community development success." While the bulk of Redzone's growth will be through private investment, the P H O T O / DAV E C L O U G H By improving broadband we attract new businesses, which in turn will attract investment and create jobs, making Maine as great a place to work and to do business as it is to live. James McKenna President Redzone Wireless LLC, Rockland Making connections in Maine James McKenna is helping Maine's economy by extending wireless service B y J e n n i f e r V a n A l l e n

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