Monhegan Island to get broadband internet

A years-long community project to bring broadband internet to Monhegan Island will be complete by June 5, connecting its residents to faster service.

The island, which is about 10 miles due south of St. George, has a population of 119 people. The island uses a microwave radio that goes from the island to the shore and provides the community with internet service through the telephone lines, said Nick Battista, the chief policy officer for the Island Institute.

But broadband installation will allow people on the island to transmit data — whether it’s video calls, files or even phone calls — much faster.

“Getting broadband will help them join the rest of us where we don’t think about the internet, we don’t think about how slow internet is and how it’s not a hindrance to living your daily life, to working, to connecting with your family,” Battista said.