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hawk82
join:2001-04-26
Oakland, ME
 ·Verizon Online DSL
 ·RoadRunner Cable
2 edits | Thoughts... Jason's a pretty cool dude. I've met him a few times and got a tour of his operations. He was one of the first ISP's in the nation to do wireless broadband.
The Leichtman Research Group, thinks Maine may be looking at the wrong problem. "The computer divide is where this starts. There is a direct link between household income and computer ownership. While 80 percent of U.S. households have computers, just over half of these households subscribe to broadband service," said Bruce Leichtman, LRG president, "When you look at households with incomes less than $30,000 per year, only 58 percent have a computer." I have to disagree with this statement. A lot of people in that household income have computers around here. Much higher than 58%. Don't ask me how, but they have a fancy car, cell phone, satellite tv, big screen tv, but live in a house worth $50,000 or less. Priorities I guess.
I think the real problem with getting internet and cell service here is the vast territory and distances between populations. Maine doesn't have a lot of large populace areas. Bangor and its suburbs, Portland and its suburbs, and southern Maine. That's about it. Everywhere else, it is towns/cities of 20,000 or less, which small towns surrounding it, or just spread out.
Dumping money into the problem is great I guess. Broadband penetration in Maine is getting much better.
Edit: Another reason people live out in the "sticks" is cause the taxes are a lot less. Maine has some of the highest property taxes in the US. We do a lot for our citizens. Jobs are also an issue here in Maine. Not a lot of decent paying jobs so where you can move into the city. Pretty stagnant.
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Computer & Network Consultant
Yes, I use pico... laugh all you want.... | |
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swintec
Premium
join:2003-12-19
Alfred, ME
 ·RapidVPS
·surpasshosting
 ·Sprint Mobile Broa..
 ·VoicePulse
·RoadRunner Cable
| Re: Thoughts... Correction...We are the highest taxed state in the nation. Not just property tax but excise taxes, sales taxes, this taxes, that taxes..it just goes on and on. This state is just not business friendly, heck, they even want to tax Poland Spring bottling for EACH bottle of water they produce. It won't take much for Poland Spring to say screw it and move to NH to do business. Maine for the longest time has been a mill and factory state, with a new mill and factory closing which seems like every week, where are the people who worked for 20 years suppose to go? We seem to have more and more retail jobs popping up, so they go there..and make 9 dollars an hour. Hmm...highest taxe rate and a fairly low yearly income. Something just has to give, and then..and only then can we start hoping for bigger businesses and the investments for broadband and similar technology to be deployed. | |
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hawk82
join:2001-04-26
Oakland, ME
·Verizon Online DSL
·RoadRunner Cable
| Re: Thoughts... You sure about sales tax? It is 5% on most purchases, except food preparation and a few other items.
When I left new jersey in 96, they had 7% sales tax.
I like 5% sales tax. Makes invoicing my customers much easier.
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Computer & Network Consultant
Yes, I use pico... laugh all you want.... | |
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swintec
Premium
join:2003-12-19
Alfred, ME
·RapidVPS
·surpasshosting
·Sprint Mobile Broa..
·VoicePulse
·RoadRunner Cable
| Re: Thoughts... said by hawk82  :You sure about sales tax? It is 5% on most purchases, except food preparation and a few other items. When I left new jersey in 96, they had 7% sales tax. I like 5% sales tax. Makes invoicing my customers much easier. Sorry for not being clearer, I do not mean we have the highest tax in any one category, I meant this as in we have the most taxes in the country, where in adding them up and analyzing what we pay, we pay the most. Sure sales tax is 5 %...I go camping I pay a 7% lodging tax. I register a car and god forbid its brand new I would pay anywhere from $500 if its a cheaper car to over a grand depending on the model for excise tax..and this isnt just once, its every year! Decreasing slowly, each year. My parents just paid 350 dollars, which they pay each year, to register there camper, which you can not register for only half a year, which would make sense, but only for a full year (i guess you gotta register to have it sitting in your yard for the 8 months of winter we have  ). I've talked to many business owners who say the taxes are rough on them. Like I said, why can't we be more business friendly? This goes back to trying to tax Poland Spring for each bottle of water produced, classic example..with so little incentive for them to be here already, why keep pushing them away with this kind of crap? | |
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