Maine lags nation in high-speed Internet penetration but it has a plan.

Maine lags the nation as a whole for high-speed Internet, according to a new report.

Twenty-one percent of Americans subscribe to high-speed Internet, compared to only 15 percent of Mainers, according to an eight-page paper by the Maine Center for Economic Policy.

The paper, "High Speed Internet: A Requisite Rural Development Strategy," http://www.matr.net/files/MaineBroadband.pdf says one reason for Maine’s lower penetration rate is the difficulty in extending broadband telecommunications to the state’s remote areas. Another factor is the high cost, which is why many Mainers who have access to the Internet don’t subscribe.

The paper provides an overview of broadband technology, its value in rural development and initiatives to expand high-speed Internet across the state.

High-speed Internet will be necessary for growth in business, education and health care, and will be particularly important to rural economic development, said Ed Cervone, policy analyst for the center.

Full Story: http://www.boston.com/news/local/maine/articles/2006/08/29/maine_lags_nation_in_high_speed_internet_penetration/