Axiom Technologies, LLC

Washington County Education and Employment through Sustainable Broadband Adoption

Washington County is a major hub for blueberry farming and commercial fishing in Maine, but it is also the state’s poorest county. Axiom Technologies proposes a sustainable broadband adoption project that intends to provide broadband education, training, access, equipment, and support to community-serving institutions and economically vulnerable populations in the county. In addition, to address a healthcare worker shortage in the area, the project proposes to expand distance learning for healthcare professionals in partnership with the Central Maine Medical Center College of Nursing and Health Professions, with the goal of expanding the pool of local residents with associate degrees in nursing. The project also intends to equip ten local farmers and ten local fishermen with wireless equipment and a rugged laptop as a pilot project to help local industries utilize broadband technology in the field and for small business and economic development purposes.

Total Award: 
$1,429,596
BTOP In Action
Students taking a telemedicine course in Maine

In late 2010, Axiom Technologies, LLC launched sustainable broadband adoption programs to increase the utilization of technology in the healthcare, fishing, and farming industries in Washington County, Maine. These BTOP-funded programs are establishing the groundwork for defining new and innovative ways that broadband can improve production, service, and knowledge in each of these industries.

Healthcare

In November 2010, Axiom Technologies held a ribbon-cutting ceremony with the Maine Fiber Company, a BTOP infrastructure grantee which is connecting the Central Maine Medical Center College of Nursing and Health Professions to a statewide fiber-optic network and announced new telemedicine learning capabilities. At the ceremony, both grantees announced new telemedicine learning capabilities. This faster network connection from the Maine Fiber Company will enable Axiom Technologies’ to help the College host video conferences with other state hospitals and learning institutions, so students can participate in remote distance learning. For instance, Axiom Technologies set up a similar remote learning program at the College of Nursing in Louiston, Maine, where students can use video conferencing services to connect to the University of Maine in Machias and take their nursing pre-requisite classes. The College also set up video conferencing capabilities, allowing nurses and paramedics to view a more diverse range of medical cases than those available at the local community’s Down East Hospital.

Fishing and Farming

Axiom Technologies is working to build new applications that can help improve the use of land and water resources and increase business knowledge and productivity software for economic development purposes. In January 2011, Axiom Technologies provided 10 local farmers and 10 local fishermen with wireless equipment and rugged laptops as part of a pilot project that included 62 community members. Participants followed an online curriculum and were offered training assistance over the course of 11 weeks. The courses focused on building skills in Microsoft ® Office, QuickBooks, Adobe ® Photoshop, basic computer setup and maintenance, and other computer software. The 62 community members completed more than 1,500 hours of training in the 11 week period. As the project moves forward, Axiom Technologies will increase broadband connections in locations near farmers and fishermen, and will look to build industry-relevant applications and assist local industries with utilizing broadband for small businesses and economic development purposes.

In addition to the far-reaching economic benefits this project can provide to local industries and communities in Maine, Axiom has hired five new positions to handle these different programs, the College hired three new positions to manage the new learning programs, and Down East Community Hospital had to hire a local person to manage the training program.

Last Updated: September 26, 2011

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A KINBER construction crew strings fiber between telephone poles Keystone Initiative for Network Based Education and Research

On March 28, 2011, a Keystone Initiative for Network Based Education and Research (KINBER)...

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