PC Magazine released a survey recently that compared internet speed averages across the country. Maine didn't do so well, ending up at 40th:

Maine's in a tough spot on our survey, though you wouldn't know it by asking users. Maine users reported the highest levels of satisfaction with their ISPs—an impressive 62 percent of them claiming to be extremely or very satisfied. Yet the state placed 40th in terms of speed, with an average of just 427 Kbps. Maybe users are too busy enjoying the beautiful coastline and numerous national parks to care about their slow service

The lack of choice in broadband in Maine is a big issue that probably accounts for this. Where I am in Searsmont, I've got one option for broadband (FairPoint), which is about a third as fast as customers in other towns that have multiple provider options.

I'm probably more sensitive to this than most because I use the internet to make a living. Nevertheless, it would be hard to argue that this huge disparity in quality of broadband access doesn't affect Maine's ability to attract and retain businesses.

National Journal's Tech Daily Dose had a post that explains a bit about what I'm doing these days:

Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, has a new position in her office that does not yet have a recognizable acronym on Capitol Hill when the hires of LAs, LDs, COSs, and AAs, are discussed. Collins’s new media director, Lance Dutson, will be charged with oversight of online forums, blogs, increased use of the Web site, Web video initiatives, and user-generated content. "Our use of new media will take many forms, the most obvious of which will be an increase in the use of our Web site as a medium for two-way communication," Dutson said in an email.

"We plan to dramatically increase our use of Web video to keep constituents abreast of what is happening in Washington, and to use the medium to explain both the process and the reasoning behind the legislative work that is done on their behalf," he said. Web video will provide an efficient way for Collins to speak directly to Mainers and provides a venue for her to hear concerns of her constituents, he said. The office will also boost communication through email and RSS distribution and employ micro-targeting, hyper-local blogs and user-generated content.

Read the whole story >>

The crack staff at Maine Web Report has been buried in work and life over the last several months, so the once-frenzied pace of blogging has slowed to something remarkably less rapid than a crawl.

The Collins campaign is announcing Shipbuilders for Collins, a coalition of over 150 BIW workers.

Here's the press release:

PORTLAND, Maine — In recognition of her unwavering commitment to the men and women who work at Bath Iron Works, today a coalition of shipbuilders pledged their support for Susan Collins for re-election to the United States Senate.

The Kennebec Journal endorsed Senator Collins for reelection today:

As Washington Post political reporter Shailagh Murray writes, if the Senate Democrats have 57 or 58 votes post-election, "the most powerful people in the Senate will be a handful of Republicans like Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins, along with Joe Lieberman."

The Press Herald is reporting on a new poll by Maine Democratic pollster Patrick Murphy's Pan Atlantic/SMS:
Republican U.S. Sen. Susan Collins holds a 21 percentage point lead over her Democratic challenger, U.S. Rep. Tom Allen, in a poll released today by a Portland market research firm.

The poll by Pan Atlantic SMS Group found that Collins had 57 percent of the vote, Allen had 36 percent and 7 percent were undecided.

http://news.mainetoday.com/updates/034562.html

Peter Chandler, chair of the Maine Democrats' Victory Campaign, is sending out emails that are putting a creative spin on Tom Allen's role in the Fannie Mae/ Freddie Mac fiasco.

In typical Maine Democratic Party style, Chandler is playing a shell game: he's calling Susan Collins a liar based on a statement he made up. Chandler and the Allen campaign are claiming Senator Collins criticized Allen for a vote against a bill - HR 1461. Clever attempt, but Chandler is not telling the truth. Collins has, instead, been critical of Allen's attempts to block amendments to the bill.

A SurveyUSA/WCSH6 poll is showing Senator Collins continuing to dominate Tom Allen. She leads 55-39, and holds a 14 point lead in Tom Allen's own district.

Here's the story:
http://www.wcsh6.com/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=93318&catid=2

I'm on board the Collins for Senator campaign bus today, blogging and editing video as Senator Collins visits fire stations and police departments across Southern Maine. We're being escorted by a group of 25 or so firemen on motorcycles, wearing yellow 'Firefighters for Collins' shirts. It's an amazing scene as this bus and all of these bikes roll through these small towns, and the response we're receiving is unbelievable.

Celebrated leftwing blogger Matt Stoller had this to say about Maine Congressman Tom Allen:

I didn't like Tom Allen when he went after bloggers in 2005. He's part of that wanker class. I hope he defeats Susan Collins and would vote for him if given the opportunity, but I can see why Maine voters wouldn't want to put him in the Senate.

Yikes.