Maine gets $25.4M to expand high-speed Internet

PORTLAND, Maine — A $25.4 million federal stimulus grant announced Thursday will be used to build a 1,100-mile fiber optic network connecting the far reaches of Maine, bringing high-speed Internet to thousands of people like Jim Fisher who can't get broadband service through cable or phone lines.

Fisher, who designs and maintains Web sites for several nonprofits in his spare time, said there's no high-speed Internet in the part of Blue Hill where he lives. And his satellite-based service goes out in bad weather, including fog, rain and snow, forcing him to go "skulking" about town looking for a wireless Internet connection...