924 BOARD OF SELECTMEN MUNICIPAL ADVISORY COMMISSION DANIEL S. LIEF, CHAIRMAN CRANBERRY M. DONALD M. FERNALD E. HARRISON, J. PICKERING AARON W. GRAY L. PRATT, F. REECE, C. WHITE HAL H. NEWELL TOWN CLERK / TREASURER FACILITIES SUPERVISOR DENISE McCORMICK 1830 BILL McGUINNESS May 21, 2007 Dear Island Community, As you may be aware. for the past year the Town and an ad hoc committee of island residents have been in the process of bringing wireless broadband internet service to the Cranberry Isles. We are now very pleased to announce the positive results of this endeavor. Earlier this month, a proposal was reviewed at two public hearings and approved by TCI voters at a Special Town Meeting. In June, we will sign an agreement with RedZone Wireless (www.redzonewirless.com) of Rockland, ME to bring top notch broadband service to the islands beginning this summer! RedZone employs a mesh network of 5.8 GHz radios. For the Cranberry Isles, a high-speed internet signal (T1) will originate on Mount Desert and be linked to approximately a dozen radio nodes deployed throughout the islands. The nodes (radio transmitter/receivers) are cylindrical, roughly 2 feet tall by 1 foot wide and comprise the backbone of the wireless network. Each home user connects to this backbone via a small radio antenna attached to the outside of the house. The radio antennas are about the size of a small shoebox. Of the various systems we looked at. the mesh network is both the most visually discreet, requiring neither a tower nor large radios dishes, and also the most technologically sound, offering speeds of up to 1500kbps download / 768kbps upload at a cost of under $40 dollars per month. The Town, the Island Institute, private contributors and RedZone have worked collaboratively to bring this service to our islands, because individually and collectively we all recognize the growing importance of high-speed connectivity. To be successful however and to ensure the economic viability of ongoing service, we need as many subscribers as possible. If you are interested in signing up for wireless broadband Internet service please contact Eric Dyer (eric@tci-me.us) with your contact information, including email address. This information will be used to establish installation priority on a first-come, first served basis. Your participation will be greatly appreciated. Thank you for your interest in and support of this project. Sincerely, Daniel Lief Chairman, BOS Town of Cranberry Isles P.O. Box 56 Islesford, ME 04646 Ph (207) 244-4475 Fax (207) 244-3714