State of Maine Archives: on Technology
Eliot Cutler:
Invest capital in our backbone infrastructure
Sound investments in our backbone infrastructure of roads, bridges, railroads and ports will allow us to make the most of our competitive advantages and spark economic activity and growth.
A capital budgeting process will make it more likely that the decisions about which investments to make are less political and more strategic.
Source: 2014 gubernatorial campaign website, CutlerForMaine.com
Dec 31, 2013
Eric Brakey:
Net Neutrality is heavy-handed government control
Net Neutrality: Support requiring internet providers to provide equal access to all users?Brakey: No. Avoid "heavy-handed government controls."
King: Yes. Ending net neutrality will "deprive Americans of open & equal access."
Ringelstein: Yes. Create federal law protecting net neutrality.
Source: 2018 CampusElect.org Issue Guide on Maine Senate race
Nov 1, 2018
Janet Mills:
$2M for broadband; $5M for rural development
To expand the economy, the budget:- Invests $2 million in broadband, designed to draw down much larger amounts of federal money to Maine;
- Funds $5 million for rural development; and
- Directs funding to market all parts of
Maine not just as a tourist destination, but as places to live and work and raise a family.
Our Department of Economic and Community Development looks forward to leading in the creation of a long range economic plan for our state.
Source: 2019 State of the State address to the Maine legislature
Feb 11, 2019
Janet Mills:
Proposes $15 million to expand broadband
High-speed internet is no longer a luxury, it is a necessity. Increasing access to high speed internet will allow our businesses to expand and allow all people to connect with schools, health care providers and markets around the country and around
the world. This session, I propose that the Legislature fund $15 million to expand broadband for Maine people and businesses. We can no longer afford to wait.
Source: 2020 Maine State of the State address
Jan 21, 2020
Janet Mills:
Loss of net neutrality is a giveaway to huge corporations
Net Neutrality: Support requiring internet providers to provide equal access to all users?
Mills: Yes. "Rollback of net neutrality is a transparent giveaway to a few huge corporations."
Moody: Unknown.
Source: 2018 CampusElect.org Issue Guide on Maine Governor race
Nov 1, 2018
Janet Mills:
High speed internet as fundamental as electricity
High speed internet is as fundamental as electricity, heat, and water. It is the primary way of connecting with others in the 21st century. It is the modern equivalent of rural electrification in the 1930's and the interstate highway system in the
1950's. We need to have high speed internet throughout our state. I will be asking for an additional $30 million for infrastructure and for internet that is affordable for Maine families, students, seniors, businesses and workers across the state.
Source: 2021 State of the State Address to the Maine legislature
Feb 23, 2021
Janet Mills:
Universal high-speed internet for Maine by 2024
We proposed, and you enacted with bipartisan support, a new entity charged with achieving universal internet access in Maine--the Maine Connectivity Authority. With this new Authority up and running, and with the support of American Rescue funds,
I pledge to you tonight that every person in Maine who wants to connect to high-speed internet will be able to do so by 2024--just two years from now.
Source: 2022 State of the State Address to the Maine legislature
Feb 10, 2022
Paul LePage:
New website to see how Maine tax dollars are spent
I am pleased to announce that in the coming days we will launch a new website that will enable Mainers to see how their precious tax dollars are spent. My administration also launched a "Business Friendly Communities" initiative.
The program works with our towns and cities to make them "Open for Business." Eighteen Maine communities are now designated as business-friendly. These reforms are a small step in making Maine a better place to live and raise our families.
Source: 2013 State of the State speech to Maine Legislature
Feb 5, 2013
Shenna Bellows:
Total Information Awareness undermines our democracy
Q: Where would you draw the line on whom the US should be spying on?A: I support measures to repeal the Patriot Act and prohibit the NSA from engaging in bulk data collection. The federal government should only be gathering information about Americans
when there are specific and articulable facts that are actually relevant to a terrorism investigation.
Q: Are there categories of foreign leaders that you think it is appropriate for the US government to be surveiling?
A: I think we need a paradigm
shift in our surveillance--in our approach to surveillance. For the last decade, policymakers in Washington have trampled on the Constitution and Bill of Rights, creating a constitutional crisis. This paradigm of "Total Information Awareness" undermines
our democracy and threatens international relations. We need a Church Committee-style investigation into the nature and extent of our surveillance practices. And we need meaningful reforms to restore our constitutional freedoms and restore our trust.
Source: Salon.com on 2014 Maine Senate debate, "Snowden"
Oct 30, 2013
Zak Ringelstein:
Create federal law protecting net neutrality
Net Neutrality: Support requiring internet providers to provide equal access to all users?Brakey: No. Avoid "heavy-handed government controls."
King: Yes. Ending net neutrality will "deprive Americans of open & equal access."
Ringelstein: Yes. Create federal law protecting net neutrality.
Source: 2018 CampusElect.org Issue Guide on Maine Senate race
Nov 1, 2018
David Costello:
Require social media to adhere to strict privacy rules
?Enactment of public interest social media rules and requirements that oblige social media platforms to adhere to strict privacy and anti-violence incitement rules and
to provide space for important, fact-based public interest information.
Source: 2024 Maine Senate campaign website CostelloForSenate.com
Feb 27, 2024
Janet Mills:
Voted NO to funding Maine's road infrastructure
LD1790: An Act To Secure Maine's Transportation Future.Summary by Maine Better Transportation Association, in support: Led efforts to draft and pass LD 1790. The landmark bill provides the framework for major changes in how Maine
finances its transportation infrastructure.
Lewiston Sun Journal, 6/11/2007: There's one item all Mainers always find consensus: our roads, for the most part, are awful. The national transportation nonprofit, TRIP, [published a] report
which coincides with the June 12 referendum on a $113 million transportation bond. TRIP's findings: a full third of Maine's roads are either mediocre or poor, for example, and 20 percent of our bridges are "functionally obsolete."
Legislative
Outcome:Passed Senate 19-16-0 Roll Call #183 on Jun/19/07; passed House 124-17-10 Roll Call #182 on Jun/20/07, State Rep. Janet Mills voted NO; Became Law without Governor's Signature.
Source: MBTAonline.org on Maine Legislature voting records LD1790
Jun 20, 2007
Troy Jackson:
Fund and maintain Maine's road infrastructure
LD1790: An Act To Secure Maine's Transportation Future.Summary by Maine Better Transportation Association, in support: Led efforts to draft and pass LD 1790. The landmark bill provides the framework for major changes in how Maine
finances its transportation infrastructure.
Lewiston Sun Journal, 6/11/2007: There's one item all Mainers always find consensus: our roads, for the most part, are awful. The national transportation nonprofit, TRIP, [published a] report
which coincides with the June 12 referendum on a $113 million transportation bond. TRIP's findings: a full third of Maine's roads are either mediocre or poor, for example, and 20 percent of our bridges are "functionally obsolete."
Legislative
Outcome:Passed Senate 19-16-0 Roll Call #183 on Jun/19/07; passed House 124-17-10 Roll Call #182 on Jun/20/07, State Rep. Troy Jackson voted YES; Became Law without Governor's Signature.
Source: MBTAonline.org on Maine Legislature voting records LD1790
Jun 20, 2007
Hannah Pingree:
Enact a moratorium on any new data centers
Enforce Guardrails Against AI Data Center Impacts & Costs: Speculative, power-hungry data center projects are looming across the country, and too often households are left paying the price--through higher electricity bills. Maine must enact a
moratorium until we can ensure any new data centers pay their own way up front, offer benefits to host communities, and do not jeopardize the environment, health and wellbeing of their neighbors.
Source: 2026 Maine Governor campaign website HannahForGovernor.com
Mar 24, 2026
Hannah Pingree:
Fund and maintain Maine's road infrastructure
LD1790: An Act To Secure Maine's Transportation Future.Summary by Maine Better Transportation Association, in support: Led efforts to draft and pass LD 1790. The landmark bill provides the framework for major changes in how Maine
finances its transportation infrastructure.
Lewiston Sun Journal, 6/11/2007: There's one item all Mainers always find consensus: our roads, for the most part, are awful. The national transportation nonprofit, TRIP, [published a] report
which coincides with the June 12 referendum on a $113 million transportation bond. TRIP's findings: a full third of Maine's roads are either mediocre or poor, for example, and 20 percent of our bridges are "functionally obsolete."
Legislative
Outcome:Passed Senate 19-16-0 Roll Call #183 on Jun/19/07; passed House 124-17-10 Roll Call #182 on Jun/20/07, State Rep. Hannah Pingree voted YES; Became Law without Governor's Signature.
Source: MBTAonline.org on Maine Legislature voting records LD1790
Jun 20, 2007
Janet Mills:
It's time to get cellphones out of our classrooms
So it's time to get cellphones out of our classrooms. Tonight, I propose that we enact a statewide ban on cellphone use during the school day--from bell to bell--to reduce distraction and disruption and to keep children's attention on learning.
When cell phones are removed from classrooms, research shows that student performance improves, test scores improve, behavior improves, attendance improves, and social dynamics improve.
Source: 2026 State of the State Address to the Maine legislature
Jan 27, 2026
Troy Jackson:
Make data centers build their own power sources
Big data centers for AI use massive amounts of energy, and over the coming decade will make up more than 40 percent of some states' total electricity usage. As Governor,
I would call on the Legislature to pass a bill that would require any new data centers in Maine to build their own new power sources and pay for the grid upgrades needed to bring them online.
Source: WGME on 2026 Maine Gubernatorial race
Mar 2, 2026
Page last updated: Oct 18, 2026