MBC’s Policy Committee is a group of Coalition members and partners, currently including LCI, AARP, CEI, GPCOG, Maine Farmland Trust, GWI, Eastern Slopes Broadband Committee, Axiom, MECEP, GoNetSpeed, Island Institute, Ellsworth American as well as MBC Staff and Board Members:

• Nancy Smith, GrowSmart Maine, Chair of the Policy Committee

• Myles Smith, MBC Executive Director (no relation to Nancy!) 

• Nick Battista, Island Institute

• Kerem Durdag, GWI

• James Ritter, Eastern Slopes Broadband Committee

• Maureen Hopkins, GoNetSpeed

• Tracy Schekel, Ellsworth American newspaper

 

Representatives from other Coalition members and Partners are invited as well:

• AARP

• Axiom

• LCI Fiber

• GPCOG

• Maine Farmland Trust

• MECEP

 

Policy Committee deliberative process:
Any member of the Committee proposes items for consideration to the group for discussion at a Policy Committee meeting, which are weekly on Mondays when the legislature is in session. If there is a consensus among the assembled members that day on the position that MBC should take, follow up steps are delegated, typically to MBC staff on behalf of the Coalition. If there is not consensus, We attempt to build consensus if there is initial disagreement, but if this dissension is limited to a small minority of the participants (less than 1/3), we take the overwhelming majority position on the item. If the assembled group is insufficient to make a decision, MBC Staff follows up with other members who would have insights or are directly impacted. The issue is brought back to the Policy Committee either via email or at the next meeting for further action.

 

Maine Connectivity Authority Staff participate in the MBC Policy Committee meetings to provide useful input and context, but are not voting members. MBC and MCA may collaborate on policy matters when the organizations are in alignment.